Reading: Veritas Aequitas
by Engineer4Ever
Summary: Guess who's branching out with readings? This guy! So come on and enjoy the story of Veritas Aequitas in true Reading fashion as I have the cast of Team RWBY and JNPR watch this crazy AU fanfic. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **I: Beacon**

Teams RWBY and JNPR, eight students of the illustrious Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses, were gathered in a recreational room, having a whole month off from classes while recovering from the Grimm Breach. With the Vytal Festival, and consequently the tournament starting soon, Professor Ozpin, their headmaster, had pushed for focus on restoring the City of Vale, and, most importantly, relaxing before the Tournament.

The two teams were gathered on a large couch, snacks and blankets around while they wore casual clothes or, as in Ruby's case, pajamas. They'd been watching some show that Weiss had been enthralled with prior to coming to Beacon, but with school and just life in general, she'd been unable to find time to watch it.

"A-a-and I'm bored of Weiss' boy drama," Yang yawned, grabbing the remote. "Changing the channel!"

"Hey!" Weiss glared at her. "Who made you in charge? We should at least vote on this!"

"All in favor?" Ruby asked, a majority of hands going up, all but Weiss' of course. "The majority has it!"

The white themed girl just huffed while crossing her arms. "Well, I never."

"Huh, _Veritas Aequitas_..." Jaune read the title card as opening music came to a close with a guitar strum. The top word was written sharply in royal blue and white ink, almost professionally, whereas the bottom word looked like a street artist that was fond of orange and red colors went nuts. "Sounds interesting."

"Uhh...Guys? I can't get it to come off the pause screen." Yang pursed her lips. The screen shimmered for a moment before a series of white words scrawled across a black backdrop. With the words came a robotic voice.

" _Hello Teams RWBY and JNPR. Consider yourselves honored as you are given a glimpse of an alternate universe._ "

"...Sounds neat!" Nora declared with a grin.

"Sounds ridiculous," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. "This is obviously a prank."

"Not entirely, we live in a world where monsters without souls try to kill Humans and Faunus alike for just existing," Blake said. She crossed her arms and shrugged. "I've read countless books on multiverse theory. I believe it's possible."

"Uh-huh."

"She's just mad that we changed it from her stories," Yang said with a roll of her eyes. She pointed the remote at the screen. "C'mon, let us watch the show already!"

The screen went back to the title card and then started to play.

"Sweet."

 **"Longest. Flight. Ever." A young man groaned as he knocked his head against the metal interior of the airship he rode in. He crossed his arms over his chest and hung his head when he heard no reply. "I never should've stopped for that bowl...Figures those two jerks would run off without me."**

 **The teen looked up as a blond boy that wore an interesting armored jacket similar to his own – without the awesome hood and with a different symbol, he noted – rushed past him to the back of the airship with his hands over his mouth.**

Jaune groaned, palming his face while Ruby and Yang snickered.

 **The teen arched his own golden brow while his blue eyes twinkled in amusement.**

 **"Then again, maybe I'm just not looking on the bright side of things," he said with a snicker. He slid down and crossed his legs in front of him, where they stuck out into the aisle, and interlaced his hands behind his head while he looked up at the ceiling. "Still though, I hope those two aren't trying to kill each other. After all, I need one for pranks and the other for homework."**

"He speaks my language." Yang grinned wolfishly.

"I don't do your homework." Weiss sniffed.

"Agreed." Blake frowned.

"I know." Yang nodded and smirked. "I just copied you when you're asleep. It's much easier that way."

Weiss and Blake took the time to glare at the blonde.

 **Someone near him let out a small laugh and he looked over at the amused redhead with bronze and red armor that revealed her prime physique. He grinned at her and gave her a friendly wave. The girl seemed to freeze for a moment before she shyly waved back. Before he could invite her over or go over to make a new friend, a woman appeared as a hologram behind him.**

"Goodwitch blocked, I hate when that happens." Yang snickered and elbowed Pyrrha who looked at tad flustered at the blond boy's possible actions.

 **She had light blonde hair pulled back in a bun, a white blouse and dark skirt. From her shoulders fell a cape that was purple and had almost devil-like tails coming off of it. Her green eyes were behind rectangular glasses that rested on her nose.**

 **Overall, he gave her a seven out of ten on the scaling system. He wasn't into the librarian look.**

 **"** ** _Hello and welcome to Beacon._** **" The young man stood and interlocked his hands behind his head as he barely restrained himself from jumping with joy. Those words meant this stupid flight was almost over! "** ** _My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of attending this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace –_** **"**

Weiss and Blake scoffed in sync at this.

 **"If only that were true..." The teen whispered sadly while his left hand reached up to grab hold of the item that hung from his neck. He tuned out the rest of Goodwitch's speech as he looked over his prized possession.**

 **The necklace was not important, being a simple chord of orange wire, but the gold rings that hung from it were. They were the wedding bands that belonged to his parents, may they rest peacefully with Oum. He was not old enough to remember their faces when they died, but he was told that they were good people who lived to protect, and thus he lived for the same reason. The boy looked up as the hologram flickered away and tightened his grip on the rings.**

 **He looked over his reflection and grinned widely at it, the whisker-like birth marks on his cheeks spread wide by his smile. His untamable mess of sunny blond hair was kept under a black hood that protruded from an orange and black jacket that was partially unzipped to reveal a mesh-like undershirt. The jacket had small bits of dark armor attached over the shoulders, chest and back, with a red and black spiral painted on the shoulders and back. His trusty Storm Breaker gauntlets were fitted around his arms and hands. From the waist down he wore orange pants that had hidden padding sewn into it. Finally, protecting his feet were his old academy's signature combat sandals, a variant of hunter boots that allowed for more kinesthetic impact.**

"Huh, fashionable, functional, and breathy too? That's nice." Yang smiled.

"And when trenching through mud and slug?" Weiss commented, making the blonde blanch.

"Good point."

 **The blond teen let his rings fall back and rest against his chest before he zipped his jacket up and looked over the view below him.**

 **"Well, Beacon...I hope you're ready for Naruto Uzumaki." His grin widened and his eyes flashed mischievously. "Then again, I kind of hope you're not."**

"We got ourselves a bad boy~!" Nora sang, "I wonder what he's gonna do, gonna do when he comes for you, bad boy bad boy..."

"Hm...I do like the bad boys..." Yang mused playfully. "And he is studly..."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Come on, Yang, he's a fictional character..."

"Uh-huh, and Doctor Mc-Dreamy wasn't the one you were drooling over in your Anatomy show?"

"...Shut up, Yang." Weiss mumbled with a light flush.

 **He looked up as the blond from before ran from his corner back towards the front. As the boy passed two girls, they started to freak out about some puke on one of their shoes. Naruto could only laugh.**

 **"Oh yeah. This is going to be awesome!"**

"It was not awesome, it was painful." Jaune slumped in his cushiony seat.

 **"My idiot senses are tingling." A young man mused from where he leaned against a light pole on the main walkway into Beacon. Wild burnt orange hair covered his head and bangs fell down over solid black sunglasses. He wore a dark red shirt and black pants, with combat sandals that were required at Kon Academy. Around his waist was an orange belt of fur that twitched occasionally. Rested against his left shoulder under his crossed arms was a black staff that had a ring at the top that had six small knives dangling from it. He looked over at the airship that came into the dock and smirked. "I think he finally arrived. Good for nothing, lazy hairless ape."**

 **"Look who's talking, fox-boy," Another youth said lowly from where he was perched on the light pole, uncaring as the other growled at him for the name. The new speaker had an angular face and raven black hair. He wore a navy blue high collared and long sleeved mantle that parted just below his waist to reveal similarly dark pants and sandals that his companion wore. The youth sat up and revealed a red and white fan on his back, perched above his waist, around which was a belt where a solid black sword was clipped. He gripped the light pole's neck with gloved hands and swung down to land beside the red clad teen and looked at the sunglasses with black eyes.**

"Hello! Hottie alert!" Yang said, gazing at the image of both with lidded eyes.

"We have a punk, a wild one, and the cool silent one. All we need now is an overly pretty boy." Blake said in a low voice.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing."

 **"Is something wrong?" He asked the red wearing teenager.**

 **The ginger haired youth let out a growl. "Don't call me 'Fox-Boy', Heir-less!"**

 **The onyx eyed youth's eyes flashed. "Ah, that's right. You're not a 'boy' anymore. I forgot, you finally went through your... what was it again,** ** _heat_** **?"**

"Well, this is fun banter…I think." Pyrrha frowned a little in thought.

 **"I'm** ** _so_** **tempted to drain you dry right now!"**

 **"Oh come on, guys! Can't you wait at least a day before you try to rip each other apart?" The two looked away from one another as Naruto approached them with his duffle slung over his shoulder. Naruto grinned at his classmates and fellow Kon graduates. "I mean, I need to have more than one alias after I prank that Goodwitch chick. She's just asking for it dressing up like a librarian and all."**

 **"I'd bet Heir-less wants to tap it. What with his fetish and all." The red clad teen mused. The two amused boys looked at their raven-haired companion while he scowled at them and his cheeks tinted.**

 **"I do** ** _not_** **have a fetish!" He hissed.**

"Well, you can't blame him." Ren shrugged. He blinked when everyone gave him odd looks. "What? Goodwitch is hot."

"...That...Explains some things." Jaune mumbled. He had thought he heard Ren mumbling in his sleep.

 **"Sure you don't, Sasuke." Naruto leaned over to the red-clad teen and not-too-quietly whispered, "He's still in denial!"**

 **"Screw you, Uzumaki!" Sasuke snapped.**

 **"I'd quiet down if I were you, Sasuke. Isn't that how** ** _that_** **rumor got started?" The red clad teen asked with a vulpine-like grin on his face. Both Sasuke and Naruto shuddered at the memory and then glared at the one who reminded them of it.**

 **"If I remember correctly, that was because** ** _you_** **started it, Kurama." Naruto grumbled.**

 **Kurama, as he was named, let his grin widen. "I ain't denying it, unlike Mr. Librarian-fetish."**

 **"Go chase a rabbit, Ōtsutsuki!" Sasuke scowled at Kurama.**

"And here come the animal taunts." Blake frowned, figuring Kurama was a Faunus. His belt spoke it all.

"I think it's more friendly banter. Like you and tuna," Ruby said.

Blake turned pink and looked away. "If you guys would stop getting it all the time…"

"It's too funny." Weiss confessed with a small giggle. Blake would always go starry-eyed and start drooling whenever they gave her a dish with tuna in it.

"More like hilarious!" Yang corrected with a smirk.

 **Kurama's grin never wavered as his red aura began to leak out and he adjusted his grip on his staff. "Why don't you** ** _make_** **me, Uchiha?"**

 **Sasuke's black aura started to leak out as well and he grabbed onto the handle of his sword and began to draw it. "I'd be glad to-!"**

 **They were stopped from fighting by an explosion that occurred somewhere down the walkway.**

 **"Ooh, boom-boom! So big and beautiful, I wonder if someone got hurt. But that cloud...Let's go investigate!" The cheerful Naruto declared as he rushed off towards the source.**

Ruby covered her eyes while Weiss shifted uncomfortably. They did _not_ want to relieve this moment ever again.

 **Sasuke and Kurama exchanged a look before they chased after their excitable friend. It was never a dull day when one was a friend with Naruto Uzumaki.**

 **"Aw, another Dust accident? No residue or destruction. So lame." Naruto pouted in disappointment as he came across the source of the explosion.**

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't blow up enough for you!" Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. "These guys were proving to be real meanies already."

"Lighten up, Sis, they didn't even really meet you yet." Yang patted her younger sister on the head.

 **He continued to mope while the girl dressed in white yelled at the girl in the red cape. His two friends palmed their faces as they came across his discovery.**

 **"Figures that's what you'd be disappointed about," Sasuke said with a sigh. He looked over at Kurama when a growl left the teen's throat. "What's your problem, Fox-boy?"**

 **"Aside from that annoying nickname?** ** _Her_** **." Kurama glared from behind his sunglasses at the white themed girl. He bared his teeth, revealing a sharper than average fang in place of a human's canine, and growled again. "She's a Schnee."**

"Was it the snowflake that gave it away?"

"Hey!" Weiss frowned at the insult of her symbol by Blake. It was her family crest for a reason!

...One she didn't want to explain right now, but it was still a good reason!

 **"Oum bless you," Naruto said as he overcame his initial disappointment.**

"…He did _not_ just compare my name with a sneeze!" Weiss shouted in outrage while her friends giggled or chuckled.

"Oh yeah, he did!" Yang grinned.

 **Sasuke smacked him upside the head. "No, you idiot. The Schnee family is the family most well-known for Dust mining and the Faunus bias."**

 **"It's damn near slavery!" Kurama snapped at the darkly themed teen.**

"No you don't!" Yang said as her hand slapped over Blake's politically prone mouth. "No rants, just watch!"

Blake rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to rant, honestly...

 **"They get wages that equal the dangers, the fact it's less than human workers, who do not face such dangers but perform more mundane tasks in the office, is what's so controversial about it." Sasuke returned coolly as he rolled his eyes.**

 **"That's what the media wants you to think!" Kurama snarled. He scoffed and looked away before the other boy could retort. "Stupid, arrogant asshole..."**

 **"Pot, meet kettle, have you realized something? You're both black."**

"And so are Blake's ears." Ruby said to herself as she looked at her teammate's head, waiting. Blake's bow twitched right on cue and the red-themed team leader grinned from where she was bundled up in her pajamas and cloak.

 **Naruto drawled as he stared at the two. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Man, what am I going to do with you guys?"**

 **"Could you excuse me?" A calm voice asked. Naruto turned and looked down at the girl with hair as dark as his friend's. She was dressed in black clothes with a revealed midriff and had a large bow on her head.**

 **Naruto cracked a grin and looked at Sasuke. "Hey, I found your dream girl. She's practically a female you."**

"…I'm not pleased." Blake had a frown on her face.

"Welcome to my world." Weiss huffed.

 **"Funny, idiot. Maybe you should follow our example and get out of her way," Sasuke said as he stepped to the side.**

 **Naruto chuckled sheepishly and did as he was asked. "Yeah...Sorry Ms.-?"**

 **The girl walked away without much of another word. She did stiffen slightly as she walked by Kurama, who merely arched a brow in return.**

 **"Wow, rude much?" Naruto asked with a small frown.**

"Kind of." Yang agreed with her fellow blond, which made her partner frown further. Yang grinned at her. "Don't worry, you'll be a social butterfly in no time thanks to Professor Yang!"

"Hide your children," Ruby warned everyone.

"Ouch, sis, ouch."

 **Then again, he hadn't helped matters with his comment.**

 **"She's a Faunus." Kurama's observation was softly spoken. He crossed his arms and let his weapon rest against his shoulder. "Probably irked from being near Schnee."**

Blake looked away from Weiss' pointed gaze. She had nothing to say about that.

But actions always speak louder than words.

 **"The idiot's comment probably didn't help."**

 **"For once, we agree."**

 **Naruto slumped to the ground and began to draw circles on the sidewalk. "My friends are so mean to me..."**

 **"I also agree with the idiot's observation." Kurama added with a grin. "That was definitely the female, Faunus version of you, Uchiha."**

 **While Sasuke dryly glared at him, Naruto perked up and threw an arm around Kurama's shoulders. "I knew my right hand man wouldn't leave me hanging!"**

 **"Of course not. I want to see you drown in your precious noodles." Kurama smirked as Naruto squawked.**

"Is that a friend, or someone just hanging out with you to see how you're offed?" Jaune asked Ren.

"...That was pretty dark, Jaune."

"Well, it just feels that way to me."

 **"Blasphemy!"**

 **Sasuke shook his head and looked up at the largest hall that was in front of them. "Come on, I think there's supposed to be a speech or something. We hurry before we miss it."**

 **"And how do you know that?" Naruto asked his friend.**

 **Sasuke smirked back at him before he started to walk away with a smirking Kurama behind him. "Because, idiot, this is still a school."**

 **"...Ah, crap, I hate it when he's right." Naruto sulked for a moment he followed his two friends. "Oi! Oi! Wait up, you jerks!"**

 **A young man walked around the campus of Beacon, smiling gently as he did. He was dressed oddly, even for most hunters, wearing a russet pinstripe outfit underneath a green haori with white trimmings. Around his waist was a brown sash that had a simple, if bulky, metal bar clipped to the back of it. Only wooden sandals with straps the same color of his haori protected his feet. His bangs were long enough to reach the top of his torso, the hair a silky black, though most of it was pulled back into a white bun holder.**

 **When one added his androgynous features, it was hard to tell if he were a boy, which he** ** _was_** **. He despised it so, but it was a fact of life and he had come to accept it. That he accepted it didn't mean he'd have to like it, though.**

Blake's cheeks were a bit pink at the new character's face. "Well, I called that one."

"...Are we sure that's a boy?" Nora asked with furrowed brows.

"Yes, Nora."

"But Ren, _they_ could be lying!"

"Nora."

"But-!"

"Nora!"

Nora pouted and Ren sighed.

Great, now they were fighting for the next however long Nora wants to be mad at him minutes.

 **With a soft complacent sigh, the feminine boy let his hands rest behind his back and continued his stroll towards the auditorium for the inevitable opening speech. As he rounded a bend, he was nearly bowled over by a young couple, both of which looked to be in a panic. The saving grace? The girl had spotted him and stopped both herself and her companion before they ran smack into him.**

 **"Ah, sorry!" The girl, a short thing she was for a seventeen year old, apologized to him. He took a moment to quickly assess her build – what? He was a healthy teenage male! He could look if he so wished.**

Ruby covered herself on reflex and turned bright red. "Stranger danger!"

"No, it's good a hot guy is checking you out, lil sis." Yang educated her sister.

"Since when!?"

"Always, Ruby. Besides, if he tries anything, I'm sure I'll kick his ass." Yang smiled at her sister.

 **She was a petite girl, dressed in black clothes that were accented by red to match the red cape she wore. Her weapon was in the compacted form, much like his own, and hung from her waist. Her skin, again like his, was a pale white and her eyes were an interesting silver. Her hair was short, dark and, like her clothes, had red highlights.**

 **"It's no problem." He answered after he finished his quick moment of appreciating her modest bust – again, healthy teenage male.**

"More stranger! Even more danger!" Ruby turned red, covering her apparent 'modest' bust.

"...Correction, I know I'll kick his ass." Yang frowned. A once over was fine, but staring at her little sister's chest was not okay.

 **The androgynous male looked at her companion when he asked his next question. "Why are you two in such a hurry?"**

 **The blond teen, built far differently from himself, was an inch or so taller than he was with broad shoulders and a good physique. His armored clothes looked rather hastily thrown together, a mess of colors that would do well to conceal him, but it was the weapon that drew his attention. The sword and sheath were infamous and easily recognizable. They belonged to an Arc.**

"…I thought you were a farmer?" Weiss recalled to Jaune.

"My family, yeah."

"...Then why is your shield and sword infamous?"

Jaune shrugged. "I dunno."

"Wow, you're a load of useful information," Weiss said with a huff.

 **Interesting.**

 **"We're trying to figure out where the auditorium is," the boy said. He sounded rather young. A hand was thrust from the blond and a small grin was on his face. "Jaune Arc, nice to meet you."**

 **"And I'm Ruby Rose!" The cute girl in red added her own hand.**

 **He took the Arc's hand with a smile and after he shook it, took Ruby's in a gentler, but firm shake. "The pleasure is mine. I am Haku Yuki."**

 **"So, uh, you wouldn't happen to know if we're supposed to be anywhere, do you?" Jaune asked awkwardly.**

 **Haku supposed the boy was trying to determine whether he was a male or female.**

Jaune nodded, "I very much would do that. I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell unless he told me."

"I don't think anyone would." Pyrrha admitted.

"I probably wouldn't care." Yang said shamelessly.

 **Haku had to admit, this was the one boon that came with being androgynous. Well, that and all the female admirers. Girls were strange, but he wasn't complaining.**

 **Taking pity on the two, Haku smiled gently. "Yes. There's bound to be an opening ceremony or speech of some sort in the auditorium. I was just about to head over that way, would you like to join me?"**

 **"Please!" "Yes!"**

 **Haku smiled and let his hands fall behind his back. "Wonderful! I always enjoy making new friends. This way."**

"Follow me to your deaths please."

Everyone looked at Nora.

"Too dark?" the hammer girl asked with a finger placed on the side of her head.

"Just a bit." Ren told her.

"Ah...Still not talking to you, Ren."

Ren frowned slightly.

 **"I smell maybe one or two other Faunus here aside from the Fem-Sasuke," Kurama said lowly from his place on the wall in the back of the auditorium. He ignored the glare from his dark haired companion and sighed softly. "So much for being a Faunus friendly school."**

"It's just the first years gathered." Blake rolled her eyes. She thought the same, but when the grades started to mingle, she realized how wrong she was.

 **"Ah, don't worry about it, buddy. You still got me and Sasuke, and as long as we stick together, nothing can stop us!" Naruto grinned as he let his hands interlock behind his head.**

 **Sasuke dropped his glare and stared at the blond member of their trio dryly. "What did you do?"**

 **Naruto looked hurt at the question and placed his hands over his chest. "Sasuke, my friend, how could you be so cruel? To suggest that** ** _I_** **would step out of line and perform some sort of-of delinquent act of mischief! I'm hurt."**

 **Sasuke merely stared at him for another minute before he looked at Kurama. "So what'd he do?"**

 **"Oi!"**

 **Kurama ignored Naruto's outrage and let a small grin cross his face. "Well, I promised I wouldn't tell..."**

"Tell us!" Everyone demanded, eagerly awaiting the reason.

 **"I didn't even do anything yet!" Naruto protested.**

 **Sasuke, like Kurama, ignored the blond. "What should I prepare for? The Rubber Chicken Incident or something along the lines of The Eraser Scheme?"**

 **"You guys aren't even listening to me, are you!?"**

"Now, I just want know what else he's done. Stupid inside jokes..." Yang pouted, crossing her arms under her bust.

 **"Meh, more like the Lunchroom War of Class E."**

 **"That bad, huh?"**

 **Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "You guys are literally the worst friends imaginable."**

 **"Why don't you go try to make better friends then?" Sasuke asked.**

 **"Well maybe I will!" Naruto shot back.**

 **Kurama snorted. "You're** ** _way_** **too stupid to make new friends."**

"See, Ruby? You're not alone!"

"Shut up, Yang!"

 **Naruto opened his mouth to retort, but went quiet as the lights dimmed and a gentle clearing of the throat came through the microphone. The three turned to the stage to see Glynda Goodwitch and a grey haired man that was easily three or so inches taller than her. He was dressed sharply, with a green scarf around his neck and had a cane in his left hand as he addressed the students.**

 **"** ** _I'd like to make this...brief._** **"**

"And boy does he," Jaune whistled.

 **Naruto slouched against the wall with a sigh. "And by that he means he's going to prattle on and on about his school's prosperity, dignity and the rules."**

 **"I dunno, he seems to be a bit distracted," Sasuke said as he listened to the apparent headmaster speak.**

 **"What he needs to do is back away from the microphone." Kurama muttered as he dug in his right ear with his pinky. "The feedback is killing me."**

 **"And he's done."**

 **"What? Seriously?" Naruto snapped his eyes open and gaped as he saw the man walk away while Goodwitch stepped forward. "Damn, why couldn't our school assemblies be that quick?"**

"They always drag things out…" Ruby groaned, leaning her head against Yang's shoulder. Her sister patted her head in comfort.

"I know, thankfully Professor Ozpin didn't."

Ruby nodded in agreement.

 **"** ** _Gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins._** **"**

 **"Initiation? What is this, a cult?" Kurama asked lowly with a hint of amusement.**

"D-Did he do something to the cookies?" Ruby asked with utmost seriousness.

"No." The rest of Team RWBY told their leader quickly.

"Oh, good." The leader breathed out in relief, which was followed by Yang, Blake and Weiss' own relived sighs. A hyperventilating Ruby was not a fun Ruby.

 **Sasuke shook his head and stepped away from the wall towards the auditorium doors. "I wouldn't be surprised. Come on. Let's go find the ballroom so we can claim a place to sleep."**

 **"Right behind you," Naruto said as he followed his two friends. He turned and caught sight of the same girl from his airship. She noticed him and gave a quick wave that he reciprocated with his usual grin plastered on his face. Naruto turned back to his friends as the sea of people obscured her from his view.**

 **Shame, too, it was a nice view.**

Pyrrha just turned slightly red at this and found her gloved fingers very interesting.

 **"Segregated sides? Where's the fun in that?" Naruto asked with a frown as he walked over to the far side of the ball room with his pack and sleeping bag.**

Yang tossed her arms in the air with a frustrated groan. "I know! All that potential! Wasted!"

"Yes, for you." Weiss scoffed, Pyrrha nodding in agreement. Neither of them wanted to encounter a wondering hand at night.

 **He dropped his stuff on the ground and began to prepare for bed, which, for him was rather easy. Remove all clothes, save for the unmentionables, and throw on a pair of shorts.**

 **With no shame at all, Naruto stripped. It was hard to feel shame when one was raised mostly by themselves or was influenced by certain 'unique' classes offered at Kon Academy. After all, hunters and huntresses had to be able to adapt to** ** _any_** **situation at** ** _any_** **time. It didn't hurt that Naruto noticed a few girls had paused to admire his build.**

 **That was just a coincidental bonus.**

"Hello, dreamboat!" Yang wolf-whistled while most of the girls averted their eyes. The blonde bombshell paused the television and roamed over the image.

"I wouldn't mind that snuggled up against me, would you?" She asked Weiss and Pyrrha, both of which were blushing bright red.

"Yang!" Ruby protested.

"Don't deny it, Rubes, you'd like it, too!"

Jaune and Ren just rolled their eyes. Nora shook her head.

"Girls, am I right, fellas?" She asked Ren with a grin.

"...Are we talking now?"

"Duh, we're best friends."

Ren smiled. All was right in the world.

 **"Whoa, Uzumaki. Am I gonna have to get some lien out for that show?" Kurama asked with a smirk as he walked up to the blond. He'd changed from his clothes into red pajama pants and a white tank top. His sunglasses had been replaced with a black sleep mask that had a red fox on the front. The fuzzy 'belt' was still wrapped around his waist.**

 **Naruto smirked back at his friend and played with the hem of his running shorts. "Well, I'm not opposed to making a bit on the side."**

"So shameless." Weiss said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"You know you'd love it if your studly doctor did it." Yang teased.

Weiss' pale flesh turned glowing red. "N-No!"

"Denial~!" Yang sang at the stuttering retort.

 **"We should have** ** _never_** **let you go to that club with the Toad Sage." Sasuke grunted as he dropped his stuff on the blond's other side. He had changed from his armor into a modest yakuta with red and white fans decorating the material. A plastic green card smacked him in the face and Sasuke glared at the snickering Kurama.**

"Shut up and take my money!" Yang said and tossed some lien at the screen.

 **"Dude!" Naruto frowned in mock annoyance. He gestured to his well-developed torso. "I'm the eye candy here, give me some of that!"**

 **"Ah, but he's the one they all want to strip." Kurama countered as he pointed at the girls who had glued their eyes to Sasuke.**

"It always the dark boys, like that time Ren-blah, brah wah mar." Nora continued to talk despite Ren's hand covering her mouth.

"Please ignore her." The green themed boy said pointedly.

 **The raven-haired boy grunted in annoyance and tossed the lien hard at Naruto, who yelped as the currency smacked against his right pectoral. Sasuke turned and began to walk away, a small bag in his hands. "If you** ** _peons_** **will excuse me, I need to go prepare for bed."**

 **"Of course, oh glorious one!" The two chimed back boisterously and obnoxiously. A sole finger was raised back at them without any other to accompany it and the two troublemakers burst into laughter.**

 **"Uh, what's so funny?" The voice made the two look up...and promptly burst into more laughter.**

 **"He's – Oum help me!" Naruto fell to his knees while he held his gut and laughed at the boy who had been emptying his stomach onto the airship floor. He was dressed in a set of light blue footie pajamas.**

"They. Are. Warm!" Jaune heatedly argued. "And downright comfy!"

"Look stupid though."

"Hey!" Jaune glared at Yang, who shrugged in return.

 **"Wow, man, and I thought** ** _you_** **looked stupid when you went to bed back in the day." Kurama agreed as he overcame his laughter. He faced the confused blond with a wide grin on his face. "What are you wearing?"**

 **"Pajamas, duh."**

 **The response made Naruto laugh harder.**

 **Kurama however shook his head and grabbed his bag. "No you're not. Come on, man, even I'm not cruel enough to let you stay in those."**

"See, Jaune? You made another friend." Pyrrha beamed.

"Huh, yeah." Jaune smiled lightly.

 **The boy frowned. "What's wrong with my pajamas? ...How can you even see me?"**

 **"Tricks of the trade, PJ."**

"Oh, that'd better not stick…" Jaune's smile fell into a grimace.

 **Kurama grabbed the blond's shoulder despite the protest and dragged him towards the bathroom. "Back in a bit, Uzumaki. Don't do anything stupid!"**

 **Naruto couldn't retort because he was still in the midst of dying from laughter.**

 **"Excuse me." Sasuke stopped as he walked away from the bathroom back towards his chosen bed. His brain shorted out as his eyes fell on possibly the most** ** _beautiful_** **girl smiled at him. She was dressed in a sleeveless pink yakuta that covered her modesty with a black choker around her neck. The girl's smile was gentle, much like her features, and she nodded her head slightly.**

"Isn't that the girly boy?" Yang pointed out.

Blake smirked, "Yep."

"And he doesn't know…" Weiss trailed off, a devious look on her face.

"Nope." Ruby said, not seeing what her team was getting at.

 **"Sorry, but I was just on my way to bed when someone handed me this bag. I believe it was yours, as well..." She trailed off as her eyes went to the fan on his bag and then the fans that decorated Sasuke's yakuta.**

 ** _Dammit, Sasuke, do something! Say something! Anything!_** **Sasuke mentally reprimanded himself. If he had full control over his body, he would've promptly palmed his face when all that came out of his mouth was a smart and witty "Uhh..."**

"So romantic." Nora sighed.

"He knows exactly how to set a mood." Blake mumbled dryly with a small smirk on her face.

 ** _Sasuke, you're a damn failure._**

"Yes you are. That's a _huge_ turn off," Yang declared, her thumbs downward.

 **She let out a soft laugh that sounded like tinkling bells before she set the bag in his hand and bowed slightly to him. "Good luck tomorrow and have pleasant dreams tonight."**

 **Sasuke could only stare as she walked away, unable to trust himself to say anything other than something stupid despite the fact he so dearly wished to know her name. He was stuck like that for some time, silently berating himself for acting like Naruto, making a fool out of himself in front of probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.**

 **"Good night!"**

 **The sudden jarring from his stupor nearly gave Sasuke a heart attack. The cause of said near heart attack was a girl that only came up to his chin in height. Unlike the goddess he'd just seen, this girl leaned more towards the cute side. Her hair was orange, like a certain annoyance he knew (elsewhere, Kurama sneezed), and she wore a pink pair of shorts with clouds and lightning on them along with a grey shirt that had the word 'BOOP' in pink across her chest. It was rather distractive really.**

"It's me! Nora!" Nora sang with a beaming smile. "I'm Queen of the Castle~!"

"No forts in the Rec Room, Nora." Pyrrha smiled at the energetic girl.

 **"Uh...yeah, night...I'm sorry, why are you standing on my feet?" Sasuke asked dryly.**

 **The girl beamed a grin at him. "So I can do this!" She poked him on the nose, as she was prepared to do. "Boop!"**

"He's been marked." Ren whispered to himself.

"What was that Ren?" Ren remained quiet while Nora gave him a funny look.

 **"...Right...Well, it was a pleasure meeting you-"**

 **"Nora Valkyrie!"**

 **"Nora, but I really should get going and-"**

 **"Hey Ren! Come here and check out this guy I found! Think he makes good pancakes?"**

"You ask that about everyone. Why?" Ruby asked.

"It's an important fact." Nora said, her tone dead serious. "Pancakes are life."

 **Sasuke started at the strange – and very loud – question that was directed at the young man that approached him. He had hair similar to Sasuke's own, but had a lone strand that was a hot pink. He seemed to give Sasuke an apologetic look before he directed his gaze to the eccentric Nora.**

 **"Nora...Come on, it's time for bed."**

 **"Aw, but I was just getting to know duck butt!"**

 **Sasuke's eye twitched. No. He would not let that name start again.**

"Huh, it really is a duck butt." Ruby said, tilting her head.

"Think he lays eggs?" Jaune joked.

"Wouldn't they fall out the back of his head?"

 **"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."**

 **Nora looked at him with wide eyes before she stepped back from him and put a finger on her lips as she looked him over.**

 **"Fancy...You must have access to the best maple syrup."**

 **Sasuke groaned as the girl began to prattle on about syrup of all things, and she seemed to cut him off whenever he tried to walk away.**

 **What fresh Hell has he doomed himself to?**

"You get used to it." Ren shrugged.

 **"...Must, resist, stupidity impulse!" Naruto mumbled to himself as he played with a paddle-ball he'd brought for such an occasion where he'd be left to his lonesome with the strict orders of not doing anything 'stupid' from Kurama. His gaze went over to his bag, where a rubber chicken's leg was visible from the zipper. Sweat poured down the right side of his face as he looked back at the paddle-ball that was now a blur. "Not resisting well!"**

"Accept your urges and act on them. Release the beast, show us the carnage within!"

"Yang, stop that creepy voice." Ruby shoved her sister a bit.

"Meh," the blonde stuck out her tongue, "Spoilsport."

 **He needed to prank something. Someone. Anyone. He needed to make someone laugh even at the cost of his own social standing!**

 **"Oh not you again!" two voices called out in annoyance from the girls' side.**

"It's jerky Weiss! Flee!" Ruby screamed in mock horror.

"Ha. Ha." Weiss gritted out through her perfectly white teeth.

 **Naruto stopped his paddle-ball and beamed. "Thank you, Oum, you great and powerful bastard you."**

 **He vacated his seat and quickly made his way over toward the source of the noise.**

 **"What's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"**

 **"She's a hazard to my health!"**

 **Naruto moved silently through the dimmed lighting to stand behind the loud girl dressed in white. He pulled out his trusty never fail orange duct tape and prepared a strip that was long enough to go over a person's face twice. Before the girl in white knew what happened, Naruto had taped her mouth shut.**

"…He. Must. Die." Weiss glared hard at the image. Her visage was that of a vengeful angel from Heaven itself.

 **What? A prank didn't have to be elegantly planned out** ** _all_** **the time. It just had to be a surprise!**

Ruby and Yang apparently agreed, since they were laughing at the image while holding their sides. Team JNPR was in a similar state, but not laughing as hard or loud as the two sisters.

"Stop laughing you hooligans!" Weiss glowered at her supposed friends. At least Blake was behaving.

The Faunus in question was biting down on her cheek to keep from laughing.

 **The girl, Sneeze or something along those lines, let out a muffled shriek while the other three stared at the scene for a moment. The buxom blonde, who Naruto did look over twice because hormones, and the younger looking girl both burst into laughter while the Fem-Sasuke let out an aggravated sigh.**

 **"Well, I think we can** ** _all_** **learn something from this." Naruto grinned as the buxom girl let out a snort of agreement. He put a hand on the Sneeze's shoulder and gave her a grin. "Don't worry, it'll wear off in about an hour or so and it won't leave a rash...I think."**

"Revenge!" Weiss snarled.

 **The girl's eyes went wide and she dashed off towards the bathroom. Naruto turned back to the amused duo and the slightly amused Fem-Sasuke. He gave them a small grin and whispered to them conspiratorially. "It won't leave a rash, but there might be a permanent lipstick for a few days."**

 **"That's so evil...I love it!" The buxom blonde grinned at him. "I like you, Whisker-boy. Name's Yang Xiao-Long, this is my little sister Ruby."**

"Mm, I do like." Yang smirked in agreement of her other. She stroked her chin. "Now, how to snag him here..."

"Thankfully, he does not exist here." Weiss huffed. Her words made Yang pout heavily.

"Darn...and he's practically perfect..." She mumbled.

"Well, actual..." Blake trailed off when the heiress glared at her, daring her to argue it.

 **"Ruby Rose." The younger girl, Ruby, corrected. She gestured to the disguised Faunus that seemed to be annoyed with them. "And that's-"**

 **"Fem-Sasuke. We've met." Naruto grinned at the girl while she stared at him blankly before she shook her head.**

 **"Blake Belladonna."**

 **"...I'm still gonna call you Fem-Sasuke." Naruto grinned as her cat-like yellow eyes narrowed.**

"On second thought, I don't like him either." Blake frowned, she and Weiss high-fiving behind the frowning Yang's head.

 **To annoy the stoic was one of his many reasons for living. He held his hands up defensively. "Kidding, kidding. Geez, no need to be so mean, Bell."**

 **"Blake."**

 **"Same difference." Naruto shrugged and intertwined his hands behind his head, completely forgetting that he was still shirtless. He was reminded of the fact when Ruby's face gained some color and Yang gave him an approving once over. His grin still on his face, Naruto dropped his arms and slipped between the two sisters. "So...You wanna end this day with a** ** _Yang_** **? Because I know I do."**

"And he's punny, it just gets sweeter...and hotter." Yang grinned. She frowned. "Why is he not real?"

"It's a television show." Blake reminded.

"Wait, why aren't you telling him down? He made a pun!" Weiss pointed to the screen heatedly.

"Because his was good and he's got a nice body."

"...I have a nice body." Weiss glared at the girl.

"Eh, seven out of ten. He's a real catch though. Did you see dem abs?" Yang exaggeratedly sucked on her bottom lip. "Bet you could grate cheese on dem."

"...They looked like Sun's..." Blake admitted.

"That's who he reminds me of!" Jaune dropped his fist into his hand. "Man, it's been bugging me for a while now..."

 **Yang smirked back at him and playfully wrapped her arms around the back of his neck.**

 **Elsewhere, Kurama, who had just finished helping his new acquaintance Jaune Arc, froze and paled. "Oh no...I had always hoped that the possibility was too high!"**

 **Likewise, Sasuke, who'd somehow managed to get Nora to shut up about pancakes for five seconds so her friend could properly introduce himself, did the same. "Dear Oum help us...my worst fear has been realized."**

 **Unknown to the two, they spoke their next words at the same time, in the same amount of horror. "There's** ** _two_** **of him."**

"And I officially ship Yanguto. Or maybe Nang is better…" Yang said to herself in thought, tapping her chin. She shrugged and leered at the whiskered blond. "Either way I know what I want for my birthday. He's the _Yin_ to my _Yang_."

"No." Blake admonished her friend with a bop on the head.

"Aw, c'mon, it was good!"

"T-Two Yangs? The horror." Ruby shuddered. One was all she could handle!

 **"I'm up to breaking a few rules if you are, Whiskers. First you gotta tell me, do the carpets match the drapes?" Yang's breathy question made Naruto's grin widen.**

 **"Depends...do yours?"**

"He's a bold one!" Yang whistled while Ruby looked ready to pass out, Pyrrha was red in the face while Weiss was stuttering.

"How shameless can you two be?! And in public no less!"

Yang shrugged. "What? Don't hate the player. Hate the game."

 **Yang's grin widened as she leaned in and not so softly 'whispered', "Let's find out.** ** _Together_** **."**

 **"Ew! Yang! Gross!" Ruby couldn't take it any more after she'd turned into a prime example of a tomato. A glance at Blake showed that she fared no better with her faint blush across her nose.**

That drew some eyes to the stoic Faunus.

"…I like cheesy romance, sue me." Blake huffed at the judging eyes.

"...Cheesy?" Yang frowned.

 **Both Naruto and Yang broke into wide grins and then laughed loudly as they pulled away from one another. Yang smirked at her younger sister once she'd recovered from her laughter.**

 **"What's wrong, Ruby?** ** _Jealous_** **?" Yang's smile widened even more as Ruby's face turned a shade darker.**

 **"Oh man, their faces, too good!" Naruto snickered out. He held his hand out towards Yang. "That was** ** _awesome_** **. You're a natural prankster, Yang. Sorry I never introduced myself earlier, I'm Naruto Uzumaki."**

"And I still don't like him," the pink faced Weiss huffed.

"We know, but I do!" Yang grinned. "I've been waiting for a guy like that for Xiao-Long..."

"YANG!"

* * *

 **Well, in honor of season 3 starting, I thought I'd do something nice for you people. I'm awesome like that. Just don't expect fast updates, got a new job and all.**

 **With that, you know what to do.**

 **REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Via requests to both myself and BonesBoy15, the Teams will see a Intro to the show in this chapter. We will not constantly re-type the introduction, but bear in mind that lines that are bracketed like [this] are the introduction to the 'show'.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **II: Partners**

 _ **[Song is "Whispers in the Dark" – by Skillet, specifically the moments of (0:00–0:30) and (1:45-3:21)]**_

"Huh, cool an actual intro." Yang blinked.

"An interesting piano opening for such a rude boy." Weiss mused sourly

"Shh! I wanna watch it. We missed the intro the first time," Ruby shushed her white-haired teammate. Weiss frowned and looked to Yang, who shrugged. Her sister had some quirks she didn't understand.

 **[During the piano intro, scenic shot of Beacon is taken that becomes negative upon zooming. The negative coloring corrects itself when the camera flies past Naruto, flipping sharply to zoom in on his hands, clasped tightly around his parents' wedding bands during the song's whispered opening.]**

 **["** _ **Despite the lies that you're makin' / Your love is mine for the takin' / My love is just waitin' / To turn your tears to Roses!**_ **"]**

 **[A hard guitar riff starts as Naruto's eyes snap open. It continues, flashing by profile shots of Kurama, Haku and Sasuke, before the chorus begins.]**

 **["** _ **No**_ **/** _ **You'll never be alone**_ **/** _ **When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars**_ **/** _ **Hear the whispers in the dark**_ **/** _ **No**_ **/** _ **You'll never be alone**_ **/** _ **When darkness comes, you know I'm never far**_ **/** _ **Hear the whispers in the dark!**_ **"]**

 **[During the chorus, Naruto grins while he and Kurama spar in plain hand-to-hand. He gets hip tossed and Haku offers a hand down to help him up while Sasuke tags him and jumps into the square with the smirking Faunus. His landing dissolves into a kick onto a Beowolf's head, with Haku rushing in from behind to deliver a blow to the stomach. The Beowolf goes flying and changes with another dissolve into Naruto, who slams into a wall and forces himself back to his feet as the chorus comes to a close.]**

 **[An instrumental with a wailing guitar begins and images of scenes flash by, including Naruto and Yang's first meeting/flirting while they grinned at one another; Blake casually brushing past Naruto, Kurama and Sasuke; Weiss and Kurama butting heads while Naruto and Ruby tried to pull them away; Haku putting a hand on Jaune's shoulder while Nora hangs from Sasuke's, Pyrrha and Ren smiling in the background. The screen went black and the instrumental faded before the chorus repeated.]**

 **["** _ **No**_ **/** _ **You'll never be alone**_ **/** _ **When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars**_ **/** _ **Hear the whispers in the dark**_ **/** _ **No**_ **/** _ **You'll never be alone**_ **/** _ **When darkness comes, you know I'm never far**_ **/** _ **Hear the whispers in the dark!**_ **"]**

 **[As the chorus repeats, the four boys are standing shoulder-to-shoulder while they face off against shadowy figures covered with red mushroom clouds. Split-screen face offs were shown next. Sasuke's eyes sparked with black lightning arcing over his body while he glared at a figure that opened white and red eyes with commas in them. Kurama's sunglasses flashed red and he tightened his grip on his staff as a toothy grin was sent to him. Haku's eyes narrowed firmly as he lifted a white mask up towards his face as a beautiful woman's face turned into a frown. Naruto grinned in challenge and his eyes turned gold before the camera goes back to the towering figures, the one across from Naruto gaining purple and rippled eyes.]**

 **[Aura burned around the boys as they leapt at the shadows, with Naruto in the lead, while the song finished on a hard guitar solo.]**

"That...Was...Awesome!" Ruby cheered with her fists punching the air as the title card appeared on the screen.

"What was with the strange eyes, though?" Blake asked with a thoughtful frown.

"I think they're not as concerned with the White Fang as we are," Weiss said.

"Oh, goodie, we get the terrorists and monsters to deal with," Jaune said dryly.

"Yes! We win by default!" Nora cheered. She began to do a victory dance in her seat before Ren stopped her as the show began.

"Alright, Nora, we get it. Let's watch now, okay?" Ren asked.

"Right, sorry." Nora laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head.

 **"...Oh yeah...You stir those noodles...You beautiful woman...That lives...In my house..." Naruto mumbled between snores.**

"What noodles is he talking about?" Nora scratched the side of her head in thought. "There's so many types!"

"Are there really?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah! There's ravioli – I love that word, ravioli, ravioli, give me some more, jabroni~" Nora began to sing a small song about ravioli as she got lost in thought.

"...I can show you the others later, Jaune," Ren said as he looked around Nora at his team leader.

"Ah, thanks Ren."

 **He had a dopey grin on his face while he was sprawled out across his sleeping bag. He was a chaotic sleeper.**

 **Kurama, dressed in his regular attire and his eyes hidden once more by his dark wraparound sunglasses, stared down at the unconscious blond with an amused smile on his face. He adjusted his hold on his staff and looked at his annoyed acquaintance.**

 **"So, do you want the honors or will I get to wake him up today?" he asked.**

 **Sasuke's eye twitched and he lifted his right hand.**

"Why do I have a sudden chill?" Jaune asked at the imagery of Sasuke's face.

"Well, he did spark in the intro..." Ruby mused.

 **Naruto had kicked him at least five different times last night. "I'm waking him up. I suggest you vacate the area."**

 **"Ah, this is going to be biblical, isn't it?"**

 **Sasuke said nothing and held his hand out towards the blissfully snoozing blond. There was a soft crackling as Sasuke's hand became encased in black static.**

"He has an electricity semblance?" Pyrrha asked in interest, she wondered how that would affect her own polarity.

"Duh, intro."

"Ruby, that's not an answer for everything." Yang chided her sister.

 **Kurama wisely took a few steps back until he was a good ten meters away. He ignored some of the odd looks sent his way by other students.**

 **"Oum, be merciful and let Naruto's luck hold strong."**

 **There was a loud boom of thunder followed by a sharp yowl from the once sleeping blond. A beat passed and Kurama looked over at his two friends with a light smile while the rest in the room stared in horrified shock. They must not have expected the giant explosion. Obviously, they hadn't gone to school with Naruto Uzumaki. Those poor, pitiful fools don't know what awaits them.**

"Oh please," Nora scoffed, "We blow up the school, like, every other day!"

 **Kurama chuckled and began to walk back to his friends when he saw Naruto hop up from his place on the ground. His only damage was a bit of singed hair and his skin smoked lightly.**

"Wow, he can take some damage," Yang said, impressed with her fellow blond.

"He really is a male you..." Blake mumbled with a hint of concern. Her partner beamed at the thought.

 **"Oi! I was having a nice dream, Jackass!" Naruto raged loudly as he glared at his friend. "What'd you have to go and ruin it for!?"**

 **"Our 'initiation' is today. We have to be ready. You don't get to sleep in if we don't." Sasuke was stoic as ever at first, but then there was a small smirk on his face. "Plus, retribution."**

 **Naruto huffed and crossed his arms over his chest while he pouted. "I guess I can't be too mad, then. I threw the first punch, after all."**

 **"You kicked me five times..." Sasuke drawled with his annoyance plain to see.**

 **"Oh. We're square then."**

"He gets four more shots." Blake pointed out.

"No, he blew him up. That's all he can offered." Yang brushed off the notion.

"Stop defending your not-boyfriend."

"Like you'd want to see Sun take five explosive shots."

"Wha-I...You- Shut up, Yang!"

"Never!"

 **Naruto nodded before he sent a wave and smile to his ginger haired friend. "Morning, Kurama!"**

 **"Glad to see your idiocy factor saved your ass again." Kurama returned with a smirk.**

 **Naruto hung his head and his shoulders slumped. "My friends are so cruel..."**

 **"Why do I always have locker numbers that add up to nine?" Naruto asked as he grabbed his gauntlets and necklace from his assigned locker. "I mean, in elementary it was nine exactly, then in Kon I had locker two-thirty-four, and now I have locker six-hundred and three."**

 **"Must be your lucky number," Kurama said as he adjusted one of the attached blades on his staff. "So, you hear anything while you were inhaling your breakfast or were you on 'Ramen mode'?"**

"Oooh, those noodles." Nora nodded, but shrugged. "I don't see what's so great about them."

 **"First of all, I'm** ** _always_** **on Ramen mode." Naruto corrected sternly as he pulled his bulky left gauntlet on and flipped open the ammo cache to put load it. "Secondly, I think there's going to be teams or something."**

 **"Teams, huh? Any word on how they'll get picked?" Kurama asked.**

 **Naruto clapped his hand onto the ammunition slot to lock the dust bullets in place before he grinned at his friend. "Nope!"**

 **Kurama sighed. He looked up as another idiotic blond boy walked past with his face buried in a sheet of paper. "Morning, PJ, where are you going?"**

"Oh come on!" Jaune tossed his arms in the air. That was worse than Puke Boy!

 **"Huh? Oh, hey Kurama!" Jaune greeted with a smile. He chuckled sheepishly and gestured to his paper. "Well, I don't remember having to count so high to find my locker, but according to this sheet, I was assigned locker six-hundred thirty-six."**

 **"The top brass usually don't make mistakes when it comes to lockers, Puke Boy." Naruto chimed in from where he sat loading his right gauntlet with ammo. He looked up and grinned at his fellow blond while Jaune grimaced.**

 **"Not you, too." He bemoaned.**

 **"Puke Boy?" Kurama asked as his grin widened. "Do I really want to know?"**

 **"No!"**

"Please, please, please..." Jaune begged with his hands clasped together.

 **"Probably." Naruto shrugged. He shut the lid on his right gauntlet and pumped both fists in. A loud click followed and a grin spread across Naruto's face as he slammed his fists together. "Oh yeah! The Storm Breakers are ready to bust some Grimm heads** ** _wide_** **open!"**

"I love a man with gauntlets." Yang smiled fondly. She idly began tracing her finger on her neighbor's thigh.

"...Yang. You're stroking my leg." Blake sent a look to her partner.

Yang laughed sheepishly and recoiled. "Sorry, got lost in thought."

"Don't let it happen during the tournament," Weiss said.

"Yeah, as if that would happen!"

 **"Uh, I don't think they'll have us facing Grimm at the get-go...right?" Jaune asked as he looked at Kurama for reassurance. He paled when he noticed the bloodthirsty grin that spread across the sunglasses-wearing teen's face.**

 **"Rikudo is ready to deliver peace to their soulless hearts," Kurama said with a cackle. He twirled his staff and slammed it on the ground, which caused the blades attached to the ring to jingle.**

 **"Do you mind keeping your testosterone levels in-** ** _You_** **!"**

 **The three boys turned to face the outraged white clad Schnee heiress while she glared daggers at Naruto.**

 **Naruto frowned and pointed at her. "How'd you get the tape off without leaving a mark?"**

"I have my ways," Weiss said stiffly, crossing her arms as she glared at Naruto.

"...You know he's not real, right?" Jaune asked.

"That's not the point!"

 **"As if I'd tell you! You could have killed me with that stunt!" The girl snapped. Jaune stepped between the two before Naruto could argue that none of his pranks were life-threatening. Socially devastating, sure, but** ** _never_** **life threatening.**

"Like that's better!" the heiress shouted.

"I thought it was funny."

"Yang!"

 **"Easy, there Snow Angel. My friend here didn't mean any harm," Jaune said confidently.**

 **"Embarrassment was the goal, actually." Naruto chimed in.**

 **"Dude, you're not helping." Jaune hissed.**

"Oh no, let him 'help'." Weiss said sickeningly sweet.

Jaune leaned over to Pyrrha. "...Has she always been like this?"

"You're often too love-struck to see it."

"Ohh..."

 **"Why would you go out of your way to embarrass someone?" A new girl asked.**

 **Naruto blinked and grinned at her. "Hey, it's the hot redhead from the airship. You look even better up close."**

 **The redheaded girl flushed lightly and rubbed her arm. "Ah, um, thank you?"**

Pyrrha looked down and started to twiddle her thumbs while he cheeks burned. He was so forward...

 **"Don't thank him, he's the** ** _enemy_** **!" The white clad heiress snapped quickly with her glare still locked on the whiskered blond. "And you, stop flirting with my teammate."**

"Not teammates," Pyrrha reminded Weiss, who pouted.

 **"Teams haven't been decided yet, Schnee," Kurama said pointedly. His grip on his weapon, Rikudo, was so tight that his knuckles had become the same shade as the girl's hair.**

 **"It doesn't hurt to make new friends," the heiress returned. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Kurama. A quick once over and her attention landed on a certain fuzzy accessory. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, now it makes sense why you're so quick to jump to his defense,** ** _Faunus_** **."**

"Oh, we so do not need this." Ruby rubbed her eyes while Blake frowned to Weiss.

"Hey, I get better." The heiress reminded her friend.

 **Kurama let out a low growl as the fuzzy belt unwrapped itself from his waist and flicked in the air. "You got a problem with Faunus – oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that the Schnee family only sees Faunus as** ** _slaves_** **."**

 **"That's a dirty lie, but it seems you would only know dirt since you dig around in the ground so much." The Schnee returned.**

"…Oh snap." Nora said with a hand over her mouth. "It done got reel up in herr."

"...Nora...we've talked about this."

"What, Ren?"

"No. J-Just no."

"O-kay..."

 **Juane looked between the two nervously before he looked at the girl. "Hey, c'mon, Weiss. He didn't mean it-"**

 **"I never say anything unless I mean it, Arc." Kurama cut in.**

 **Weiss huffed. "It seems someone's mother never told him to not say anything at all if he didn't have anything nice to say."**

 **Kurama snarled. "You wanna take shots at parents, Schnee? Two can play at that game!"**

"Yo momma jokes be real." Ruby whispered.

"Never again," Weiss warned her partner.

 **"Kurama, that's enough!" Naruto cut in as he stood up from his seat on the bench and glared at the fox Faunus. He tightened his hand into a fist when Kurama turned and growled at him. There was a tense and heavy stare down between the two before Kurama scoffed and turned towards the exit.**

 **"Like she's worth it..." Kurama muttered as he stormed off.**

 **Naruto waited until he was gone until he sighed and put his gauntleted hand on his head. "Great, that'll be fun to deal with."**

 **"He certainly doesn't show that Faunus are similar to us-" Weiss was cut off as Naruto snapped a look at her. His eyes were intense and determined, and it was potent enough to make the heiress pause.**

"…He shut up Weiss with a look," Ruby awed. "I want to be able to do that!"

"Well, if we had one of our own..."

"No, Yang." Weiss and Blake shot down Yang's hopes.

"Aww..."

 **"Don't act all high and mighty, you were just as bad as he was." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, right now it doesn't matter if you're a Faunus or Human, if you're an Arc or Schnee or...uh..."**

 **"Pyrrha Nikos."**

 **"Or if you're Pyrrha Nikos," Naruto said with a grateful nod to the redheaded girl. Now he knew her name, bonus. "We're all students of Beacon now, and we've all got the same goal: to become Hunters of Remnant, to protect our home from the Grimm and criminals alike."**

"That was truly moving," Pyrrha said, clapping her hands, while everyone else did the same.

It was also nice for him to say she was just like everyone else.

 **There was a small silence among the group before a yellow gauntleted hand punched Naruto's shoulder. Naruto looked to his left and grinned when he saw Yang smiling back at him.**

 **"Nice speech there, Whisker Boy."**

 **Naruto chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "You think so? I just made it up on the spot."**

 **"It was very impressive." Pyrrha agreed with a nod. "And accurate. We're all equal, despite our aesthetic differences."**

 **"Aw, you girls really know how to make a guy feel special." Naruto grinned as he let his hands intertwine behind his head. He looked at Pyrrha. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki, by the way."**

"Hey," Yang frowned and crossed her arms under her bust to accent them. "The eye candy is over the other way."

"Are you…jealous?" Pyrrha blinked in surprise. Yang's lilac eyes rolled.

"Duh, he's a keeper. Especially after _that_ speech." The blonde grinned lightly. "That's some worldly wisdom right there."

Pyrrha hummed at that.

 **"I'm Jaune Arc!" Juane was quick to throw in.**

 **Pyrrha smiled at them and gave a small wave. "Hello, Jaune, Naruto. Pleasure to meet you."**

 **"Believe me, beautiful, the pleasure is mine." Jaune grinned at the redhead.**

 **Naruto and Yang snorted. "Cheesy!"**

 **"Shut up, who asked you?" Jaune pouted at his fellow blondes. He grinned when he spotted a familiar face hiding slightly behind the two. "Hey Ruby!"**

 **"Uh, hi, Jaune." Ruby waved timidly as Weiss' eyes narrowed on her. "Um-"**

 **"If you'll excuse me, I need to go prepare my dust somewhere I know I won't blow up," Weiss said coldly before she walked off.**

 **Pyrrha looked at the girl with an arched brow. "Odd, she seemed nice when we first spoke."**

 **"Oh, I don't doubt that once you get to know her she's a** ** _Weiss_** **girl." Naruto smiled and held his hand out. Yang snickered and slapped it while Ruby groaned.**

 **"Nice one."**

Weiss just looked indignant at this. "Yang is so biased!"

"He may be hot, but he's punny. You're not, Weiss." Yang shrugged.

"Why I never-!"

"Can we please...?" Blake groaned at their argument. It was always the start.

 **"Dear Oum, there really are two of you." The group of five turned as Sasuke walked up with a pained and terrified look on his face. He gave Naruto a stern glare. "If we are going to continue being friends, for my sanity, you must** ** _promise_** **never to procreate with her."**

 **Yang leaned an arm on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a grin with half-lidded lilac eyes. "Well, what if we let you join in handsome?"**

"Wah, Yang, that's too much!" Ruby whined, covering her eyes.

"There is never too much!" Yang declared proudly.

 **"No." Both Naruto and Sasuke denied her with flat looks on their faces.**

 **Yang shrugged and crossed her arms over her impressive bust. "Worth a shot."**

 **"** ** _All first year students are required to meet at Beacon Cliff._** **" A woman's voice asked over the speaker. "** ** _Repeat. All first year students are required to meet at Beacon Cliff._** **"**

 **"Guess its show time." Naruto mused as an excited gleam appeared in his eye. He and Sasuke exchanged a quick glance before they gave their respective grins to one another.**

 **This was going to be...**

"Painful." Jaune summed up.

 **Interesting.**

"Or, you know, that…" Jaune amended his previous statement sheepishly.

 **Naruto looked down at the pad that he stood on and bounced on it a few times. Spring loaded, this was going to be fun. He turned to his right to look at Kurama, who was still a bit steamed from his interaction with Weiss, and then to his left to look at the black-haired girl wearing the green yakuta. She had the aptly named 'game face' on, so Naruto decided to not bother her.**

 **Instead, Naruto looked forward as the headmaster – whose name he always forgot, Ollie-something – and Goodwitch walked past. They came to a stop at the end of the line, near where PJ and Ruby stood. Mr. O took a sip from his coffee mug and then addressed the group.**

 **"For years, you have trained to become warriors," he said. "Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."**

 ** _Bet there's Grimm in there._** **Naruto thought as a grin spread across his face. Oh, he just couldn't wait to unleash the energy brimming inside him. What to do first? Smash? Blast? So many options...**

"And so little time, I totally agree with you." Nora nodded sadly. She blew into a hanky that Ren handed her and then gave it back, with Ren staring at it for a moment before he sighed.

"Thank you, Nora."

"Anytime, Ren!"

 **"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard the rumor of the assignment of teams." Goodwitch's comment brought Naruto back down to reality from his Grimm slaying fantasy. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...Today."**

 **"So dramatic, get on with it already..." Kurama mumbled as his tail flicked slightly from where it was wrapped around his waist. Naruto heard Sasuke mutter something back, but he couldn't make out the words so he focused on the teacher.**

 **"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Mr. O said. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."**

 **Kurama grunted. "Crap. There's only three of us. One of us is going to get stuck with an outsider."**

"Shun the nonbeliever!" Jaune declared.

"Shuuun!" Nora cheered. She was bopped on the head by her friend. "Ow!"

"Jaune, what have I said about getting her started on a mob's perspective?" Ren asked with a frown.

"Not to..." Jaune sighed.

"Why?"

"Because she can be her own mob...Sorry."

Ren nodded.

 **"Don't worry about it, Kurama. I'll stay away from the Sneeze chick." Naruto returned.**

"Please do." Weiss tersely agreed.

 **Kurama merely nodded his head as the headmaster continued. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."**

 **"...Oh, crap-baskets...It just got real up in here," Naruto said with a blink while his friends tensed. That was some high stakes. It also raised the question of how the teachers would even know.**

"Cameras…They're everywhere." Blake sighed. She had seen a few of the hidden just by walking around the campus.

"Even in the bathroom. Right in the toilets." Nora smirked as the girls paled rapidly. She burst into giggles. "Got ya! Man, pranks _are_ fun!"

"...It's too late to stop, isn't it?" Ren asked while the girls relaxed and/or glared at Nora for the poor joke.

"We are a little sucked in..." Pyrrha, whose complexion was quick to return, sighed.

 **"What?!" Naruto peered down the line towards the source of the terrified voice. He wondered who the poor bastard was. He hoped he or she wouldn't be his partner. His partner needed to be optimistic!**

 **"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Mr. O continued despite the few murmurs that had broken out amongst the students. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you** ** _will_** **die."**

 **"...He said it, not me! Y'all are witnesses!" Naruto crowed with an excited grin plastered across his face.**

"I just got a chill down my spine." Ruby whimpered.

"We are so connected," Nora whispered as she felt kinship with Naruto.

Ren grimaced and Yang frowned at her.

"Oh, you too?"

"Nah, he'd be like a brother or something."

"Ah, okay."

 **Kurama and Sasuke groaned while the others gave him amused, annoyed, or indifferent glances. The headmaster seemed to fall into the first category while Goodwitch fell into the second.**

 **"Say goodbye to the Emerald Forest." Kurama mumbled.**

 **"It looked nice from up here." Sasuke nodded.**

 **"Well it seems one of you is rather confident..." The headmaster noted with a small smile before he continued with his instructions. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene."**

 **"...It just keeps getting better and better!" Naruto nearly squealed.**

"We need matching tee-shirts!" Nora declared. She patted Ren on the shoulder. "We're so going to besties with him, Ren!"

"Mm-hm." Ren nodded with a light sigh.

 **Kurama leaned over to Sasuke. "Not gonna lie, I kind of hope I end up teaming up with you. He'd just keep asking for more aura."**

 **"And being the good friend you are, you'd supply it," Sasuke said.**

 **Kurama nodded.**

 **"Find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, then return to the top of the cliff," Mr. O said over the three friends' voices. "You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we grade you appropriately. Now...Are there any questions?"**

 **"Yes!" Naruto's hand shot up as he beamed at the grey haired professor. "Is it the tenth? Because I feel like it's my birthday!"**

 **"No, stupid." Kurama answered for the headmaster.**

 **"...It's an early birthday present then!"**

"He is way too chaotically happy." Ruby frowned.

Yang scoffed and paused the show for a moment to give a rebuttal. "Please, Nora's the same but we treat her no different."

"Boom!" Nora exclaimed, startling everyone with the sudden loud shout. The orange haired girl giggled diabolically.

"…" Ruby just stared at her sister in disbelief. Yang ignored her and pressed play.

 **"Yeah, um, sir?" the faint voice belonging to one Jaune Arc barely reached Naruto's ears while he anticipated being released into the Emerald Forest.**

 **"Good! Then take your positions," Mr. O said. He must've been ignoring Jaune.**

"…Hurtful." The blond boy admitted.

 **Naruto was as well, but his eyes were focused on the forest as he crouched down like a frog. "Gonna get me some mad air..."**

 **Kurama shook his head and crouched slightly while Sasuke did the same.**

 **"Find me, I won't move or open my eyes until you reach my position." Sasuke whispered lowly to Kurama, who nodded in return. Was it a dick move to abuse Kurama's Semblance like this? Yes, but Sasuke was** ** _not_** **going to let the already monstrous reserves of Naruto Uzumaki be backed by Kurama's own near endless supply. That would just spell** ** _doom_** **for anyone that tried to hire Naruto and his partner down the line.**

"Wait, they have that much Aura?" Pyrrha asked in mild surprise.

"They can't be _that_ big." Weiss rolled her eyes, only to make Yang grin.

"I beg to differ."

Weiss turned pink and glared at the lilac-eyed girl. "Oh, you pervert!"

"Wow, Weiss, mind to the gutter much? Who knew you had it in you."

The Heiress looked ready to strangle the blonde, if Ruby wasn't holding her back.

 **Naruto tensed only momentarily before his spring pad sent him flying. At the last moment, he pushed off with his feet and rocketed into the air, further than the recommended height. The whoop that left his mouth was loud and boisterous, much like the boy himself.**

 **"...Pray for the forest," Kurama said before he was launched.**

 **Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "May the mighty Oum save some of it."**

"And everything burned…the end!" Nora narrated happily. Jaune just laughed awkwardly and looked at Ren nervously, who remained impassive to the chaotic girl beside him. Jaune leaned over to Pyrrha.

"If she snaps, I want you to carry me while we run."

"...Okay." Pyrrha smiled happily at her friend.

 **Naruto passed through clouds before he started to descend, and on doing so, he brought his right fist back. His aura charged around him and made his skin give off a golden glow.**

 **This was his Semblance, or at least, a small portion of it. His Semblance, dubbed the Will of Fire by an elder back in his home town, boosted his strength, stamina, and endurance by at least five times that of the average huntsman's already impressive aura supplement. It is always active and can only be increased, hence why Naruto came out practically unscathed when he was woken earlier that morning.**

"Wow, we're so made to be…" Yang smiled widely at this.

"...I need to give Dad a head's up." Ruby mumbled.

 **Though he's never used it to it's full potential, Naruto has been told that the boost was supposedly twenty times that of a normal human. No one knew for sure though, because the last person to have a semblance** ** _similar_** **to his was his great-great-great-great maternal grandfather. Most of those documents were gone, lost to time.**

 **These thoughts came to an abrupt end as Naruto began to pass through the tops of trees without trouble, and then was unaffected by the branches that smacked against his face. The trees, however, could not say the same as they lost the brief battle against the force Naruto struck them with. The whole time he descended towards the Emerald Forest's floor, he had not broken his pose.**

 **"Wait for it...wait for it..." Naruto told himself as he neared the ground. He grinned widely as he threw his fist forward. "Now!"**

 **Naruto's fist met the ground for naught a millisecond before the ground caved in. A crater that was obscenely large was created around Naruto's landing spot and for a moment, all he could see was dust.**

"Remind me never to box with that guy." Jaune thumbed to Naruto while talking to Ren. He could only think Yang with her Semblance could fight that monster. Or Pyrrha to a certain degree.

"Will do," The other boy agreed with a small smile. Ren didn't want to think what would happen if the blond and Nora fought against each other.

"Boxing sounds fun..." Nora mused thoughtfully.

 **The dust was cleared by a gust of wind and Naruto stood up, without a scratch on his body. He beamed as he took in his landing's effect.**

 **"Aw, yeah! That was awesome! I wanna do it again!"**

 **"...Hm, that must've been the Uzumaki boy," the headmaster said nonchalantly as a cloud of dust shot up over a massive area of the Emerald Forest. He took a sip of his coffee mug's contents. "Very impressive. I think that's at least a mile in diameter."**

"Oh man," Nora slumped her shoulders. "He beat my record!"

Ren smiled lightly and pat her on the shoulders.

"Maybe if I-!"

"No, Nora."

"But-!"

"No."

"Aww..."

 **Glynda Goodwitch sighed and shook her head as she looked at her scroll. "More like problematic in the future. His file did say he had a penchant for destruction."**

 **"Yes. It also said he never left a project or minor job halfway finished." The headmaster let a smile cross his face, and the man turned to his longtime friend. "I believe this year is going to be very interesting, Glynda."**

 **Glynda sighed and adjusted her glasses. "You say that every year, Professor Ozpin."**

 **"This time, I mean it."**

"Hear that? We're awesome," Yang beamed while the others agreed.

 **"There you are."**

 **Sasuke looked up and smirked at the familiar Faunus he'd come to sort of befriend. "Your Aura Sense never fails you, does it?"**

"He has an aura radar?" Blake blinked. "That sounds…incredibly useful."

 **Kurama smirked as he adjusted the hold on his staff slightly and lowered his sunglasses. "Don't flatter me, Uchiha. You just want me nearby so that my Aura Transfer can boost your Kirin."**

"And he can transfer it," Yang added while cracking a grin, "Like a battery or something, totally awesome."

"Wanna toss in a tubular there?"

"…Shut up, Ruby."

 **"Well, that and to ensure Naruto doesn't have access to it."**

 **They shivered at the thought.**

 **"Speaking of the idiot, did you feel the ground shake?" Kurama asked.**

 **Sasuke chuckled and let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword. "The ground? I'm pretty sure he moved the planet with that stunt of his."**

 **"Oh, so we should prepare for bizarre weather, then."**

Ruby lifted her hood and gave a thumbs-up. "I'm all set!"

The rest of Team RWBY shook their heads and chuckled at their leader.

 **"Probably." Sasuke nodded. He looked around before he looked back at Kurama. "So...North then?"**

 **"I retract my previous accusation. You only want me to be your compass." Kurama chuckled and began to walk away. "This way, Uchiha. I can get us to Ozpin's little relics with relative ease."**

 **Sasuke blinked for a moment before he followed his new partner. "You do know you probably jinxed us, right?"**

 **"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?"**

 **"I take it back,** ** _now_** **you jinxed us."**

"Foolish fool." Ruby sighed. "You never jinx up something 'easy'."

"You would know."

"Oh, come on, Weiss it was one...Two times tops!"

"It was seven." Yang smirked.

 **Naruto let his hands rest behind his head as he walked through the forest without a care in the world. "I wonder who the first person I run into will be... I mean, I could work with Kurama easily. His Transfer and my Will of Fire would be unstoppable! However, on the off chance that I don't run into him before someone else does, I need to keep thinking about my options."**

 **Naruto missed the snarl that came from behind him and the consequential leap that a shadowy figure made at him. It stopped and fell midair as a large glowing needle stuck from the side of its neck.**

"I-Is he really that lacking of his surroundings?" Weiss asked.

"While, he is walking armor…so…" Pyrrha held up her hands haplessly.

"That is so unfair..." Jaune mumbled. He wished he didn't have to worry about getting wailed on.

 **"I mean, Sasuke wouldn't be that bad. He could cover my distance problem. But he likes to be close up, too. Not to mention he's an asshole like eighty percent of the time."**

 **Another shadowy figure tried to pounce on Naruto, but like the last a glowing needle to the head took it out.**

"Okay, who's doing that?" Weiss frowned, who used needles?

"Maybe it's the girly boy?" Ruby suggested.

"Haku? Hm, I don't see him as a needle guy." Yang tilted her head.

"Yeah, then kind of guy is he?" Ruby asked. Her sister shrugged.

"Bazooka?"

"…No." Blake bluntly said.

"Meh, just my opinion." The blonde bombshell shrugged.

 **"Oh, what if I run into Yang? She'd be fun to team with. Plus, we could plan pranks together!"**

"And more, much more." Yang rubbed her hands together. "Like makin' the Grimm with two backs..."

"Yang!" Blake, Pyrrha and Weiss chided the blonde while Ruby furrowed her brows.

"I don't get it."

 **Yet another figure tried to surprise attack the blond, only to be felled by yet another needle.**

 **"Then there's her sister Ruby. She's cute, but she seems to have some confidence issues. Not to mention she's a bit on the short side. That's gotta be it."**

"Yeah, sure." Ruby dryly said, "And I'm not short!"

"Yeah, your just fun sized." Weiss smirked, getting a pink faced Ruby as her reward.

 **A figure fell to a needle.**

 **"Or Fem-Sasuke...Eh, probably not. She's probably as antisocial as Sasuke used to be."**

Blake simmered.

 **Needle to monster neck.**

"How is he missing this?" Weiss tossed her hands up. "Is he that blind? Really?"

 **"Jaune...No. Any guy that can't keep his stomach calm or wears footie pajamas I can't partner with. Even I'm not cool enough to cover for him."**

"Going to need some aloe for that." Jaune painfully confessed. Pyrrha patted him on the shoulder.

 **Another needle imbedded itself in another shadow.**

 **"There's Pyrrha. She's hot, strong, confident, and not to mention she has red hair. Always a plus in my book.**

"Oh, uh, um…" Pyrrha blushed pink at this. Once again, that straightforwardness of his caught him off guard.

 **I wonder what type of fighter she is, though..."**

 **A bear-like shadow fell to the mysterious needle. Like the others before it, it turned into a shadowy wisp before it faded away to nothing.**

 **"At least I know one thing," Naruto stopped walking and crossed his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes in thought. "I don't want that Sneeze girl as my partner."**

"The feeling is mutual, you dim cur!" Weiss huffed.

 **He opened his eyes and turned around when a rabbit hopped out of a bush. Naruto chuckled and rubbed his neck. "Man, I must be tense. Freaking out over a rabbit..."**

 **Naruto tensed and brought his fists up as something dropped from the treetops. He relaxed when he saw it was the girl from before, who had started on the cliff on his left. She looked up at him with a small smile.**

 **"It seems that we are partners." She gave a slight bow. "I hope I don't let you down."**

 **Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry about it er, partner?"**

 **"I am Haku Yuki." The girl offered her hand. Naruto took it in his own and gave her a firm shake.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki!" he replied with a grin. He retracted his hand and intertwined it with the other behind his head. "Man, Sasuke and Kurama are gonna be so jealous that my partner is a babe."**

"And here it comes, three, two…" Yang counted off.

 **Haku twitched for a moment and then shuddered. Naruto stared at her for a moment before she relaxed and smiled at him.**

"One!"

 **"Actually, I'm a boy."**

 **There was nothing but silence.**

 **"Seriously?"**

 **"Yes."**

 **"...Huh, you're one pretty boy, Haku."**

"And he is completely at peace with his sexuality saying that. Though rare, it's always nice to see in a guy." Yang nodded sagely.

 **"So I've been told."**

 **Another moment of silence passed.**

 **"So...Do you know which way north is?"**

 **Haku nodded and pointed to her-** ** _his_** **left. "This way."**

 **"Cool. You wanna lead or should I?"**

 **"You don't seem to take too much damage, it would only make sense for you to take the lead."**

"He is the perfect meat shield." Weiss smirked haughtily.

"I'll bet. Look at them buns of steel!" Yang declared.

"Yang!"

 **"...So you want to use me as a human shield?"**

 **Haku laughed lightly. "A crude, but an unfortunately accurate simile."**

 **Naruto let out his own chuckle as he started to lead the way. "It's fine. Gotta protect that pretty face of yours, I know how it is."**

 **"...I'll be getting a lot of flak for my appearance, won't I?"**

"He has _no_ idea," Jaune said. It was criminal to look that good after all. He would know.

 **Naruto let out another chuckle. "Oh, you have no idea."**

"Poor pretty boy," Nora giggled.

 **"Hey! You two! Wait up!"**

 **Kurama and Sasuke stopped and turned around as two teens burst through the brush on their right. The first was a tall, broad shouldered teen with burnt orange hair and clad in grey and gold trimmed armor. The other was a teen more around their height with a Mohawk of green hair and a shaved head.**

"Oh boy, them…" Jaune drawled.

Blake smirked, "I think I know what's going to happen."

"Oh? Do tell." Weiss asked.

"Nope, just wait and see." The Faunus grinned, hopeful of the coming scene.

 **"You guys seem to know where you're going," the armored teen said as he brought out a large mace. "Maybe we should stick together."**

 **"...There is safety in numbers," Sasuke said after a moment.**

 **Kurama tilted his head in thought while his tail loosened for the briefest of moments. "Perhaps-"**

 **"Dude, your belt's falling off." The other teen pointed at Kurama's waist.**

 **"Mind of its own, I swear," Kurama said after he looked down and chuckled. He allowed his tail to fully unwind and looked at the two. "I hope you don't mind-"**

 **"Wow, you poor bastard." The tall teen looked at Sasuke. "Got partnered with an animal, huh?"**

"Oh yeah, this is going to be good." Blake said, a vicious smile on her face.

"Yang, Blake is scaring me." Ruby whispered to her sister.

"I know. It's awesome," Yang smiled, it was nice to see her partner display such emotion so openly.

 **"That's gotta suck. Has he stopped to mark his territory?" The other asked with a chuckle.**

 **Whatever pleasant thoughts that either Sasuke or Kurama may have had about their two new companions vanished without any chance of return. Sasuke looked between the two before he looked back at Kurama.**

 **"Would you like the honors?"**

 **"I've already started." Kurama growled.**

 **Sasuke nodded and looked at the confused duo. "May I have your names?"**

 **"Er, yeah, I'm Cardin Winchester and this is my partner, Russell Thrush." The tall teen, Cardin, introduced himself. "Why?"**

 **Sasuke smiled lightly. "I wished to know the names I'll have to write down for the search party."**

 **Cardin frowned. "What's that supposed to-?"**

 **"Hey, Cardin...I-I don't feel so hot..." Russell groaned as he stumbled back. His skin had lost some color and he slumped against a tree. "I think...I think I'm gonna sit down for-for a bi..."**

 **Russell conked out mid word and fell to the ground.**

 **Cardin looked at his fallen partner with worry and then looked at the other two. "Hey! Hey, what just happened?" His eyes started to droop. "Why...Why are...why's everything...getting...fuzzy?"**

 **"Don't worry about it, Cardin Winchester." Kurama walked over to the taller boy and pressed the ring of his staff against the teen's head. "You'll only sleep for an hour or so...whether or not you become a Grimm's meal is not my concern."**

"…He's draining and leaving them?" Jaune gulped. "Okay, I don't like Cardin, but that was a bit much, right?"

"It's fitting." Blake retorted.

"It's a bit, ruthless." Pyrrha confessed.

"It's ballsy." Yang countered.

"It's arrogant." Weiss huffed.

"It's pancakes!" Nora declared.

"...Well, you heard it here. It's officially pancakes. Your argument is invalid." Ren said to Jaune, who laughed.

 **Before Cardin could reply, Kurama pushed him back with his staff, and the knight-like teen fell to the forest floor, just as unconscious as his partner.**

 **Sasuke stared at the downed duo for a moment before he looked at his partner. "You alright?"**

 **Kurama sighed. "It's times like this I wish more idiots were like Naruto."**

 **"...That's a terrifying thought."**

 **"I know."**

"If only more people could be like that." Blake admitted. So optimistic and open about stuff, not afraid to speak their true feelings so freely in a judgmental world...

 **Naruto stopped and held a hand up. "Did you hear that?"**

 **Haku nodded. "It sounded like a girl was in trouble."**

 **"I think that was a girl..." Naruto mused with a smirk. "But, I could be wrong."**

 **Haku sighed. "I cannot help that my genetics made me appear more feminine than masculine, Naruto."**

 **"I know, I just like ragging on you." Naruto grinned. He turned around and began to walk backwards. "You know, I got a good feeling about all this. You've got the needle gun–"**

 **"Snowfall." Haku corrected with a light smile as he looked down at his unique weapon. Dust crystals were shaped into needle-points that protruded from the back and made reloading and keeping track of his ammo simple.**

Blake smirked while Yang whined.

"Fine, you were right. I was wrong," the blonde said sourly.

"Good girl."

"Do I get a treat?"

"No."

"Aw, you tease!"

"Shut up, Yang."

 **"Right, that. While I have my badass Storm Breakers to take something out up close!" Naruto beamed as he looked at his gauntleted covered hands. "We're like a perfect yin-yang combo! You're all cool, quiet, and distant while I'm more 'in your face', loud and awesome!"**

 **Haku smiled a bit more before he stopped walking and gained a concerned look. "Uh, Naruto?"**

 **"I mean, even I know I can be loud, but I can't help it! It's way too fun to be loud!" Naruto laughed as he continued to walk backwards. "Not to mention I love being in the spotlight. Heck, if this Huntsman thing doesn't work out, I'm fully prepared to break off into a rock band or something!"**

"I'd groupie to that band," Yang laughed. She beamed widely. "He just keeps speaking my language again and again!"

 **Haku gained a strained smile. "Yes, that's nice, but Naruto?"**

 **"Doubt that'll happen though, because once I start something, I never give it up. You can count on that, because if there's one thing Naruto Uzumaki doesn't do, is give up!" Naruto grinned before he stopped walking and frowned. "Hey, what's up, why'd you stop walking, Haku?**

 **"Um...Because of that." Haku pointed behind Naruto.**

 **Naruto turned around and stared into soulless red eyes, most notably seen on a Grimm. He took a second to realize that he was in fact face to snout with a large bull-like Grimm, the white boney mask and armor that protected the creature's hide and head were littered with scars, at least a hundred in total. Two sharp horns protruded out of either side of the Grimm's head, both long enough to easily skewer three people each and still have room for more.**

 **The ancient Grimm snorted and the foul breath blew right into Naruto's face.**

 **"...Oh, crap-baskets."**

"Run you handsome idiot!" Yang yelled at the screen. It was too early for her potential love interest to die! She gasped when the credits and song began to roll. "What!? No!"

"Wow, cliffhanger second episode in. That's kind of arrogant, isn't it?" Jaune asked.

Blake shook her head. "It's like a book. Each episode is a different chapter, so ending it on a cliffhanger will make you want to keep reading, or in our case, watching."

"Next one, next one!" Yang urged as she shook her sister, who'd taken the remote. "Hurry, Ruby, hurry!"

"I can't do anything when you're shaking me!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "And you said I was unbearable with _Anatomy_."

"Well, we _are_ in this show," Ren pointed out.

"Details..."

* * *

 **Such a quick update?! Yeah, I'm awesome to you guys. By the by, loved ep one of season three!**

 **Now enjoy you fools! Laugh and giggle!**

 **Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do** ** _not_** **own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **III: Knock Hard**

"Come on, skip the recap!" Yang tapped her foot impatiently. She groaned when the title intro began. "Ruby!"

"No! It's catchy!" Ruby huffed with a grin. Jaune nodded in agreement from where he sat.

"You're only saying that because it's got the word 'Rose' in the lyrics!" Yang argued.

"I wield the remote, I wield the power!" Ruby stuck her tongue out childishly, which made Yang's eye twitch.

"Just settle down, Yang." Blake put a hand on the blonde's arm before she tried to tackle. Her partner sent her an annoyed look.

"If Sun-!"

"How many times do I have to say this?" Blake cut her off curtly. "We. Are. Not. An. Item."

"Yet~!" Nora sang from the side. Blake glared at her and she giggled.

"Thank you!" Yang nodded in appreciation before she sent her partner a look. "See? Nora agrees with me."

"You're still acting up over a fictional character," Weiss said dryly.

"Says the one that gasped in horror and cried _real_ tears when Dr. Drake was hit by a bus."

"That came out of nowhere! It was an emotional roller coaster that whole episode and then he just suddenly died!"

"He wasn't even that cute!"

"He was _adorable_!"

"If I may interrupt?" Pyrrha asked with a nervous smile as she intervened in the argument between the most temperamental friends she had. She pointed at the screen, where the title remained. "The intro's over."

"Aww, I missed it." Ruby pouted. She so had to download that song.

 **"It seems we're not the first ones here," Sasuke said dryly**

Yang let out a frustrated groan that made her teammate's eyes roll.

 **as he took note of the girl that Naruto and Kurama had deemed his 'female self'. She was not alone, as with her was the blonde bombshell that made every internal 'Naruto-sense' go off.**

"Well, at least we're dealing with something interesting in this first scene..." Yang mumbled since she was back on screen.

"Feel better?" Blake asked.

"Not really...Wait, if I'm the 'fem-Naruto'," Yang pointed at herself and then to Blake. "And you're the 'fem-Sasuke'."

"Don't call me that."

"Does that mean we should double date? Or are _we_ a pairing? Since, you know, Kurama said there was a rumor about them?" Yang disheveled her hair as she scratched her head. "Gah! This is so confusing!"

"Only because you're making it so." Blake rolled her eyes.

 **"I had to backtrack at least two miles to find you. Of course we're not going to be the first ones here!" Kurama rolled his eyes and nodded to the girls. "Ladies, a pleasure."**

 **"No, no it is not." Sasuke shook his head.**

 **Kurama gave his partner a confused look. "Why not?"**

 **"Hey, you're the handsome guy that hung out with Whisker Boy," Yang said with a grin as she pointed at Sasuke. She gave him a flirtatious wink. "You rethink my offer of having a** ** _Yang_** **-ing threesome?"**

"Yang, stop other you from being so gross!" Ruby whined. Yang shrugged and smirked as she crossed her arms.

"You guys need to deal with crude humor," she said.

"And your puns?"

"Hey, those are _fantastic_ , thank you!"

 **Kurama looked horrified. "...Oh dear Oum, she's–"**

 **"Just like him, I know." Sasuke cut Kurama off. He put a hand on his glasses-wearing friend's shoulder. "Give yourself a minute to come to terms with it."**

 **Kurama braced himself on his knee and with his staff as he shuddered. "Oh merciful Oum...why do you hate me?"**

"Drama queens." The busty brawler rolled her lilac eyes.

The others, save for Nora, gave her quick looks of disbelief as the same word ran through their heads: _Hypocrite_.

 **"I asked myself that too," Sasuke said with a nod.**

 **"I mean, a female Sasuke I could handle! Hell, it was almost welcomed!"**

 **Sasuke glowered at his partner while Blake pinched the bridge of her nose.**

 **Kurama continued despite this and pointed a shaky finger at Yang. "But that...that's too much. The only way this could get any worse...is if we ran into my female self." He rubbed his face and sighed. "Thankfully, the chances of that are slim to none."**

"I don't know. I think that'd be pretty interesting." Jaune confessed. He chuckled slightly. "And funny. It would also be funny."

 **Sasuke shook his head. "My partner...the only idiot who doesn't know when** ** _not_** **to say those accursed words or something like that. I should've tried to find Naruto, he wouldn't have jinxed me."**

 **"Hey, I did** ** _not_** **jinx us!" Kurama snapped back with a frown. He gestured to the area. "Look around you. I got us to the relics without any Grimm interference!"**

 **There was a crash and a boom by the edge of the forest. Sasuke and Kurama looked towards the sound before Sasuke looked at his partner.**

 **"You were saying?"**

 **"That could've been anything!" Kurama quickly replied.**

"Like Naruto?" Nora asked, but tilted her head. "Or me, could very well be me."

"It might be." Ren sighed, his head down. He did not want to relive that ride.

 **He tightened his grip on his staff and frowned as he looked back towards the unknown source of the crashing. "But...maybe you should grab a relic just to be safe."**

 **Sasuke nodded and rushed over to a golden bishop, which he snatched off of the pedestal. He paused as he noted the other golden bishop remained as well and looked at the rest of the 'relics'. The black and gold pieces were all in pairs, save for the respective king and queen of either set.**

 ** _If I'm right, then the teachers will bunch together the teams by the chess pieces. And there's already more than a few pairs that are gone._** **Sasuke narrowed his eyes. With a quick thought, he snatched the other golden bishop, with plans to give it to his other friend just to be safe.**

 **"Incoming."**

 **The warning came from Blake, and Sasuke followed her gaze upwards towards the descending girl in red.**

 **Yang narrowed her eyes. "Is that...Ruby?"**

 **"Heads up!" The falling Ruby was blindsided by a blur of multiple colors and sent to the woods.**

The scene paused, rewound, and played in slow motion before continuing at its normal setting.

"Huh, it's me." Jaune looked at his screaming face.

"...Not your best moment, Jaune," Pyrrha said with an awkward smile.

"Those are rare," Jaune said freely. He knew he had bad luck and was starting to come to terms with it.

 **Kurama scratched his head. "I think that was Jaune..."**

 **There was another crash and a masked bear-like Grimm, known as an Ursa, broke through the forest on their right. It reared onto its hind legs before it fell forward with a death rattle. On its back was a girl that made Sasuke freeze.**

 **"Oh no..." he groaned.**

 **Nora, unaware of the mental pain she'd unintentionally caused, looked down at the deceased Ursa with a frown. "Aw, it's broken."**

 **Kurama looked at his partner with an arched brow. "Friend of yours?"**

 **"Do you remember when we agreed that there was no one more insufferable than Naruto on a sugar high?"**

 **"Yes?"**

 **"We were wrong." Sasuke gained a faraway look in his eye. "Horribly, horribly wrong."**

"Ren doesn't let me have sugar, besides syrup." Nora pouted.

Ren had a haunted look in his eyes when his teammates looked at him.

"...You're better off not knowing," he said after a moment.

 **"...I'm starting to regret coming to Beacon." Kurama mumbled under his breath.**

 **"So am I." Sasuke nodded slowly as Nora rushed by him without acknowledging his presence, something he thanked the heavens for vigorously.**

 **There was another crash to their left and a massive scorpion-like Grimm with a white mask and golden stinger broke through the woods with Pyrrha running right in front of it.**

 **"Did she just run through the forest with a** ** _Deathstalker_** **behind her?" Blake asked incredulously.**

 **"...** ** _Really_** **starting to regret coming to Beacon." Kurama amended his previous statement.**

 **Sasuke sighed. "We should get paid for coming here, not the other way around."**

"I'm behind that, like, one-hundred and _ten_ percent!" Yang smiled and rubbed her hands together. "We could do so much shopping with that. Plus all the shenanigans we go through to boot!"

"It would be nice..." Blake hummed thoughtfully. She smiled at the amount of tuna-noodle bowls she could get at the Simple Wok.

"Think of the ammo and mods we could buy..." Ruby sighed with a dreamy grin on her face.

 **As if things couldn't get worse for the gathered teens, another Grimm burst through the forest, but this one had** ** _two_** **students with it instead of just one. In front of the bull-like creature, a familiar blond had his feet planted firmly in the ground while he struggled to keep the bull from flinging him off of it's face.**

"He's holding it back." Weiss said in disbelief. That was _absurd_ strength.

Yang sighed in relief before she slumped back in her seat and grinned. "I knew he'd be fine."

"...Sure you did."

 **"Haku! Find that damn weak spot already!" Naruto yelled to his partner, who was on the Grimm's back and trying to find a weak point to capitalize on.**

 **"The back and sides are too heavily armored!" Haku shouted back. He did a double take and widened his eyes when he saw that the other teens were in their path. He grew worried when none tried to move. "Naruto! Behind you!"**

 **Naruto cracked open an eye and looked over the gaping group. His eyes landed on one figure in particular and a grin spread across his face. "Kurama! Transfer! Now!"**

"Oooh, so this is what those two meant." Ruby figured, but curious to see what chaos could happen if the two had partnered up.

 **Kurama snapped out of his stupor and he reached out towards his blond friend. His red aura shone brightly before a bright stream shot out from Kurama's palm and collided with Naruto's back. Naruto's skin gained a reddish hue as Kurama's aura mixed with his own, but the other effect of the transfer slowed the Grimm's charge to a near halt as Naruto's strength doubled.**

 **"Sasuke, think you can stun it long enough so that we can get away?" Naruto asked with a glance over his shoulder.**

 **Sasuke nodded and released his hold on his sword. He held his hands up and closed his eyes as his black aura flared to life. Static started to jump around his hands for the briefest of seconds before clouds began to form overhead.**

"He has weather powers?! Come on, these guys are monsters." Jaune gaped at the sight. He clasped his hands together. "Please let Haku be normal, please!"

"Uh, Jaune...when has that sort of thing ever worked for you?" Ren pointed out.

"Let me have this one!"

"...Alright, if you say so." Ren shrugged.

 **"Sasuke, hurry up and bring the rain!" Naruto ordered. "Haku, get ready to move!"**

 **Sasuke's eyes snapped open and he threw his hands down, just as a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky onto the Bull-like Grimm. Before the lightning connected, the two partners currently engaging the Grimm leapt away and landed in front of Kurama and Sasuke. The monster released a roar of pain as it was electrocuted before it slumped to the ground, smoking. Sasuke panted and the sky started to clear up while Naruto whooped.**

"…That's awesome." Ruby surmised everyone's thoughts while the others nodded in agreement.

 **"Aw yeah! Who're the best Huntsmen? We are! Boo yah!"**

 **"Um, correct me if I'm wrong, Naruto, but I think your celebrating is a bit too early," Haku said. Naruto gave him a confused look and Haku pointed up. "We have another problem."**

 **Naruto looked up and grimaced as he saw a Nevermore. He frowned and squinted his eyes. "Wait...is that the Sneeze girl?"**

 **"...Is it wrong that I hope she falls?" Kurama asked.**

"Yes!" Weiss glared at the Faunus on screen.

 **"Not really." Naruto, Sasuke and Blake replied.**

 **"Yes!" Haku and the others said.**

"Thank you majority." Weiss nodded firmly and glared at Blake. "Traitor."

The Faunus looked back at her with a mischievous smile.

 **Kurama shrugged the opinions of the majority off. "Meh, my opinion matters more to me than yours."**

 **"Yang!" The gathered teens looked to the side as Ruby jumped towards them from the tree, her silver eyes locked on her sister.**

 **"Ruby!" Yang beamed and held her arms out to catch the younger girl.**

 **"Nora!" The eccentric orange haired girl cheered as she popped up between the two sisters before they could be properly reunited.**

 **Naruto snickered. "I like her."**

"So in sync." Nora nodded, her tone in a whisper.

Ren felt another chill down his spine.

 **"Down boy." Kurama ordered, he looked to the other side at the sound of a loud smack. "Incoming redhead, three o'clock."**

 **"I got this one!" Naruto proclaimed as he stepped forward and held his arms out. He caught Pyrrha as she collided with his side and he gave her a cheesy grin. "Long time no see, Pyrrha. You don't write, you don't call...It's why I'm starting to think you don't like me."**

"And he's so smooth…" Jaune frowned, _why can't I be like that?_

 **Pyrrha smiled back at him as she stood up on her feet. "Thank you, Naruto."**

 **"Don't mention it." Naruto waved off with a smile. "I'd catch any pretty girl that was sent flying by a Deathstalker's claw."**

 **"Oh, good, we're all here, now we can die together." Yang cheerfully threw in while Pyrrha flushed at the compliment.**

 **"Help!"**

 **The group looked up again at Weiss' cry. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, I think she's going to fall."**

 **"She'll be fine." Kurama waved off his concern.**

 **"She's falling." Ren and Sasuke pointed out.**

 **"Think we'll get a reward for digging her mangled corpse a grave?" Kurama asked.**

"…I do not like him. At all." Weiss glowered and flexed her hands as if she was strangling someone. She didn't notice Ruby scoot away slightly.

"This is priceless." Yang whispered to Blake. "Weiss is losing it over some fictional character; it's better than her boy drama!"

"...You were shaking Ruby over the cliffhanger..."

"That's different. I'm part of an OTP, how often can you say that?" Yang waved off Blake's comparison.

 **"Dude, that was too dark." Naruto reprimanded his friend.**

"Okay, so he has some redeeming qualities." The Schnee heiress grudgingly admitted.

"See?"

"Not enough for me to help you 'snag' him." Weiss used finger quotes on the word 'snag'.

 **Kurama snorted and rested Rikudo against his shoulder. "Says you."**

 **"No, I must agree with Naruto," Haku said. "Even for a family with a reputation like the Schnee, you should show kindness in situations like this."**

 **Kurama huffed and watched as Jaune leapt from the trees towards her. "Oh look, PJ is playing hero."**

 **"Aw, they grow up so fast," Naruto said as he wiped a fake tear away from his eye. "So, how's he going to protect them on the way down? Think his Semblance is something like a, I dunno, shield? Maybe it gives him the mad hops."**

 **Pyrrha grimaced as she watched Jaune and Weiss fall. "I don't know if Jaune knows what a Semblance is, let alone what his may be."**

"This is extremely true." Jaune nodded.

 **"...You're kidding me." Sasuke blanched. He looked at Naruto and then up at the descending duo. "Wow, there's a blond guy that's dumber than Naruto. I never thought I'd see the day."**

 **"Oi! What's that supposed to mean, jackass!?"**

"Yeah?!" Jaune agreed with a scowl. "Naruto sounds way dumber then me!"

"Yet he's the one with the smooth lines for Pyrrha and you've made Weiss blush how many times?" Yang countered.

"...Don't defend your imaginary boyfriend!"

"I rest my case."

 **"You know, Naruto, if you moved fast enough I think you could – never mind." Haku winced as Jaune hit the ground with a loud smack and Weiss fell directly on his spine. "Oh...He's going to need medical attention."**

"Good thing we have a great medical staff." Jaune sighed. It was a relief on his poor abused body.

 **"My hero."**

 **"My back!"**

 **Naruto chuckled and then cracked his knuckles. "Well, I guess we should probably do something about the Nevermore and the Deathstalker. Dibs on the flying one!"**

"Hey! That's ours!" Ruby shook her fist in righteous anger. She pouted. Why wasn't her other calling dibs?

 **"I need at least another five minutes before I can use Kirin all out again." Sasuke noted as he looked at his sparking hand. He snapped his fingers and pulled out a golden bishop. Sasuke tossed the 'relic' to his friend. "Here, I figured you'd forget to snatch it if someone didn't grab it for you."**

 **"Oh, right! Relics." Naruto hummed as he looked it over. "What do you think it is?"**

 **Haku chuckled. "That's a bishop from a chess set, Naruto."**

 **"Oh...I knew that!"**

 **"This is all fine and dandy," Kurama said as he twisted Rikudo's pole and it shifted into a rifle form. Kurama started to fire off shots at the approaching Deathstalker. "But we have** ** _bigger_** **problems to worry about than whether or not the idiot can identify a chess piece!"**

 **"Oi!"**

 **"I got it!" Ruby cried out as she rushed forward.**

"No I don't." Ruby hung her head.

 **"Ruby, wait!" Yang reached out as if to grab the girl and sighed. "Crap!"**

 **"Not one for plans is she?" Naruto asked. He looked over and paled as he saw his monstrous Grimm start to stir. "Um, Haku...The Bull is getting up."**

 **"Oh, crap-baskets." Haku grimaced and prepared Snowfall.**

 **"Huh, so you say that too? I thought Naruto was the only one," Kurama mused. He looked at Sasuke. "I hope they aren't too much alike, right? ...Sasuke?"**

 **Sasuke was staring at Haku with a small pink hue in his cheeks.**

"Oh, yeah. Momma loves that sweet boy-on-boy love." Yang catcalled with a large grin on her face.

"It's going to be so awkward for him." Jaune said with a sigh, but he was cackling inwardly. It was going to be hilarious! And to think, he wasn't going to be at the butt of the joke!

 **"Oi, Uchiha! Gawk later, snap out of it!" Kurama barked as he slapped the boy upside the head. He ignored the glare he received for the action and pointed at the Grimm Bull. "We got bigger problems than your confused sexual identity."**

 **Sasuke glared at his partner. "I do not have a confused identity!"**

"You will later." Yang sniggered.

"Yang, be nice." Blake drawled out.

"No promises!"

 **Ignoring his two friends, Naruto let his Semblance rise slightly until his skin began to glow lowly and brought his fists up. "Alright, round two big guy! And this time,** ** _I'm_** **charging at** ** _you_** **!"**

 **"Wait! It's not up yet, we should stay together as long as there's no immediate threat." Haku suggested.**

 **Pyrrha nodded. "She's right. Our best hope is to band together against these beasts until we can make an escape."**

"Oh, I feel bad now." Pyrrha frowned, that must have been insulting.

 **Naruto snickered and Haku sighed as the redheaded girl misidentified him. Kurama let a smirk cross his face, since he could smell the gender, and Sasuke nodded in agreement with Pyrrha. He drew his sword, a curved Chinese sabre, and spun it in his hand so it unfolded into a bow with a Dust launcher attached to the string.**

"...I want to touch it..." Ruby mumbled with a longing look. "Do you think he used leather or a different texture to cover the grip? How do you think it latches?"

"Ruby, your weapon lust is showing." Yang, Blake and Weiss pointed out dryly.

"Wha-I thought we agreed not to call it that!"

 **"We have more support roles here, we can hang back and take pot shots at them," Sasuke said. He looked at Nora and Ren. "Do you two have distance weaponry?"**

 **"Yep-yep, Duck Butt!" Nora chirped as she pulled out a grenade launcher. She ignored the glare Sasuke gave her as she patted the weapon lovingly. "Magnhild's ready to make things explode!"**

"Boom baby!" Nora cackled out.

 **Ren merely let bladed guns slide out from his sleeves and nodded. "We can provide cover fire if necessary."**

 **"I can as well," Pyrrha said with her spear now in a rifle form similar to Rikudo's, but without the golden scope. "I'm more attuned to close combat, though."**

 **"That's fine-"**

 **"Ruby!" Yang's horrified cry cut Sasuke off and the group turned to take in the scenario. Apparently, the Nevermore had fired its feathers, each about as large as the average human, at the retreating scythe wielder. One feather snagged Ruby's red cloak and the others had trapped Yang. All the while, the Deathstalker approached Ruby with ill intent.**

 **"...Well, she's boned." Kurama deadpanned.**

"Jerk!" Ruby called out, Weiss nodding in agreement.

"Don't worry, I'll save you." The heiress smirked haughtily.

"…You love seeing this again."

"Oh, yes I do."

 **He was thankfully proven wrong as a white blur shot past Yang and halted the Deathstalker's golden stinger and right claw. Kurama's eye twitched. "...She did that just to make me look like an ass."**

"Most certainly you ruffian!" Weiss scowled at the character.

"Well, if there's one thing the intro theme got right, it was that Weiss and Kurama don't like each other," Blake said dryly.

"...They gonna do the nasty."

"Yang!"

"What?! It's television logic! You just wait!"

 **"It's all about you, isn't it?" Sasuke asked as he watched Ruby and Weiss have a quick, heartfelt chat.**

 **"Duh."**

 **"Well, glad to see you two made up," Yang said as she, Ruby and Weiss rejoined the group.**

 **"Those aren't the words I would use, but I suppose it's fine." Weiss muttered before she glared at Kurama and he replied with a raised finger. Her attention went to the madly grinning Naruto and her glare intensified. "You, however, I still don't like."**

 **Naruto put his hands over his chest and gained a pained look. "Oh, Ms. Sneeze...The wound goes deep."**

 **"It's Schnee!"**

"How do you confuse it?" Weiss' scarred eye twitched.

"At this point, I think he's doing it on purpose," Ren said.

"...Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No, just pointing it out."

 **"Um, the bird thing is coming back." Jaune pointed out nervously. He grimaced as the Deathstalker's trapped claw and stinger started to crack the ice. "Oh man. How are we going to fight both of these things?"**

 **"Well, we don't have to fight," Ruby said.**

 **Naruto cupped his mouth. "Boo! No one likes a quitter!"**

"I gotta go with him on this one." Yang agreed with Naruto. She had wanted to bust heads that day.

"...But you're the one that gave the option of running..." Jaune pointed out.

"...Jaune, you still never made Weiss blush."

"Wha-oh come on!"

 **"Shut up!" Sasuke and Kurama snapped at him as they smacked him upside the head.**

 **"Gah! My brain!"**

 **"Anyway...the objective is right in front of us, right?" Ruby gestured to the relics and grinned at the gathered teens. "We just need to get the relics and go back to the cliff, don't we?"**

 **"Hey, yeah, that's right!" Jaune grinned. "Grab the item and run to live another day? I can get behind that plan."**

"Good plan other me." Jaune agreed greatly.

"That's exactly what you said verbatim." Pyrrha smiled in amusement.

"I'd say it again in a heartbeat."

 **"Aw, but guys, think of the unsupervised violence!" Naruto whined. He hung his head as everyone seemed to ignore him. "You guys are no fun."**

"Wet blankets, the lot of you. Well, besides Nora." Yang pointed to the orange-haired girl.

"Yay violence!" Nora cheered with a smile on her face.

 **Haku smiled and patted his partner on the back. "There, there, Naruto. I'm sure there'll be another chance for you to, er, bust some heads?"**

 **Naruto sighed and grinned at his partner. "Yeah, you're probably right, Haku! Man, you're the best partner a guy could ask for."**

 **Jaune and Ruby rushed up to the platforms and grabbed their own 'relics' before they regrouped and ran south towards the cliffs. Yang lingered behind for a second, which prompted Naruto and Blake to slow up.**

 **"What is it?" Blake asked her partner.**

 **Yang sent a meaningful glance to Ruby as she stopped and oversaw the group for a moment before she continued to lead the way.**

 **Naruto let a small laugh leave his mouth and intertwined his hands behind his head. "This is one of those proud sibling moments, isn't it?"**

"It was and it was nice." Yang reached over to ruffle Ruby's hair, much to her sister's embarrassment and dismay.

 **"Something like that, Whisker Boy." Yang chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Come on, before they leave us behind."**

 **The group of twelve broke through the woods into some misty ruins. Sasuke, at the head of the rear, looked up as a shadow passed overhead.**

 **"Scatter!" He cried and the massive group did so. Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss broke off to the right and Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora went left while Sasuke, Kurama, Naruto and Haku ran straight ahead. The respective partners fell behind massive pillars in the area as the Nevermore perched on a tower not far ahead. The trees rustled and the Deathstalker burst through with a shrill cry.**

 **"Oh man, run!" Jaune ordered as he led Pyrrha deeper into the ruins.**

 **"Nora, distract the bird," Ren said as he raced to regroup with the others.**

 **"Come on, hurry up!" Sasuke said as he started to fire dust arrows at the Deathstalker to slow its approach.**

 **"We'll cover you!" Kurama called to Ruby as he fired at the bird while Nora laughed and did the same with her grenade launcher. The Nevermore let out an infuriated shriek before it swooped away to circle around.**

"Bullet hell anyone?" Blake asked. "It was like a dust storm of projectiles."

"Ooh, someone uses slugs!" Ruby pointed out.

 **Nora let out a cheerful laugh. "Bye-bye, Birdy!"**

"Birdy no!"

"Ruby let it go already!" Yang groaned. "So you crashed through a bird. We get it!"

Ruby shuddered, "The nightmares of its caw."

"Stop telling us about them..." Weiss drawled.

 **"Nora, head's up!" Ren warned his partner as he and Blake fended off the Deathstalker before it could blindside her. Sasuke ran towards them and added his own melee to the group as his bow shifted back into a Dao sword.**

 **The trees rustled again and a loud bellow made Naruto look up. A wild grin crossed his face as his eyes landed on the charging Grimm Bull. "Oh yeah!** ** _Now_** **it's round two, ugly! Kurama!"**

 **"Got it!" Kurama put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and filled him with red aura. He took hip fire shots with Rikudo's rifle mode at the charging bull until Naruto's skin and eyes had turned a bright red. "That's all I can give you for now. You'd lose control if I gave you any more."**

"So it has a limit based on the individuals limit? Interesting." Pyrrha hummed with intrigue.

 **"It'll be enough. Haku, cover them and keep an eye out for that Nevermore!" Naruto told his partner before he shot forward with a crazed laugh. "Come on, Big Boy! Let's rock this joint!"**

 **"Is he alright?" Ruby asked as she helped perform cover fire with her rifle while Yang went to join Nora in attacking the Deathstalker.**

 **"This is what he lives for," Kurama said as he turned and fired at the approaching Nevermore. "Anyone with good aim and long distance focus on the Nevermore! Mid to close range fighters, take the Deathstalker!"**

"Who put him in charge?" Weiss frowned.

"He seems to know what he's doing." Jaune stated.

"That's not the point…"

"That scene is going to be _hot_." Yang mused quietly, getting a shove from her partner.

 **"What about the Bull?" Haku asked.**

 **There was a loud bang followed by a roar and after that came another crazed laugh. "Come on, ya pansy! That the best you got!?"**

 **"Let Naruto hold it off for now," Kurama said as he took aim at the Nevermore's wing. The massive bird-like Grimm let out another angry shriek and fled once more. Kurama looked back and took in the situation with the Deathstalker. "Sasuke! I don't think it's big enough to cross this bridge!"**

 **"Then we retreat to the tower!" Sasuke called back. He shifted his sword back into a bow and began to retreat while he took shots at the scorpion-like Grimm. "Fall back! Get to the tower!"**

 **"Go-go-go!" Pyrrha ordered as she turned her spear into a rifle and joined Sasuke in providing cover fire.**

"Man, our synergy is amazing." Ruby whistled.

"Fighting for one's life tends to do that." Pyrrha confessed. "That or tension builds and we wouldn't have made it."

"Oh. Bummer."

"Now who talks like a surfer dude?" Yang mocked her sister.

"Shut up, Yang."

 **Yang, Blake, Weiss and Nora ran past Ruby and Kurama with Jaune not too far behind them. Haku and Ren stopped to provide some rapid-fire support to Sasuke and Pyrrha once they made it to the middle of the bridge. Ruby and Kurama were the last to start their approach to the bridge and barely made it before the claw of their current foe slammed into their previous location. The Deathstalker let out an infuriated shriek when it couldn't reach them.**

 **Ruby looked to their left as another shriek rang through the air and her eyes went wide. "Nevermore!"**

 **"Jump!" Kurama cried out as the Nevermore flew low and took out a large portion of the stone bridge. Those that were crossing thankfully made it across without much trouble.**

 **Jaune got up to his feet and went to the edge of the gap. He clenched his hand into a fist when he saw the Deathstalker approaching the four on the other side. "We need to give them more support."**

 **"Yes we do." Kurama agreed as he looked past the Deathstalker and saw Naruto get knocked into the stone ruins by the Grimm Bull. He scowled. "Idiot needs to find the cap of his damn Semblance before he gets himself killed."**

 **"What are we waiting for? Let's go help them!" Nora proclaimed.**

 **Jaune shuffled uneasily for a moment. "I don't think any of us could jump that far."**

Jaune paled, "Not again…"

Nora grinned at her team leader. "We need to do that more often."

"No!"

 **"Probably not, but I know how a lever works," Kurama said as he looked to Nora. He grabbed Jaune and dragged the blond back with him before he gave the girl a thumb's up. Nora grinned at him and pulled Magnhild from its place on the small of her back before it shifted into a large hammer that she lifted up over her head.**

 **"No, this is a bad idea! Bad idea! Bad idea!" Jaune cried out as he saw Nora bring her hammer down.**

"Listen to other me!"

"Nope, having too much fun." Nora winked with a giggle.

 **The portion of the bridge she struck sank downwards while the portion Kurama and Jaune stood on shot into the air like when they were fired from the springboards they used earlier that morning.**

 **Nora laughed and stood on the head of Magnhild and pulled a trigger that fired a grenade, which propelled her across the gap. She flipped over her friends and brought her hammer down right on the Deathstalker's head just as Jaune landed in a heap beside Pyrrha and Kurama landed in a roll next to Sasuke.**

 **"Bout time you got here," Sasuke said with a wry grin. He looked past the Deathstalker at the Bull that was currently driving Naruto through all of the stone wall on the right of the valley. "That idiot's going to get himself killed."**

 **"Yep." Kurama agreed. He looked over at Pyrrha as Nora unleashed another grenade into the Deathstalker's face. "Can you four handle this?"**

"Yep." Team JNPR answered with smiles, though Jaune's was nervous.

 **Pyrrha looked to Ren, who nodded, and then at Jaune, who drew his sword and shakily did the same. She looked back with a small smile. "We will take care of the Deathstalker, go help Naruto."**

 **"Don't have to tell us twice." Kurama grinned back as he and Sasuke ran past the Deathstalker on either side while Haku rushed forward and climbed up the stuck stinger. They bypassed the Deathstalker and ran towards the sounds of roars and bangs.**

 **As he approached the Grimm Bull, with Naruto nowhere in sight, Haku flicked his wrist and Snowfall shifted from a gun into a whip, with the Dust needles forming the tip,**

"Okay, that's just really cool." Ruby said with stars in her silver eyes. Clearly gushing over the whip mode.

 **and used the weapon to grab hold of the Grimm Bull's horn as it ran past.**

 **"You're just going to get pulled back!" Sasuke cried out.**

 **Haku gave him a smile and put his hand in the air. A second later and the air in front of his hand shimmered before it became a square ripple that solidified into a reflective glass. Haku vanished into the glass and his whip accompanied him. The whip went taught and the Grimm Bull's head jerked down onto the ground, which made a large trench as it did.**

"…What just happened?" Jaune asked.

"He teleported." Ren answered.

"I know that, but, how?!"

"Semblance." Everyone else told him.

"...Am I really the only one who doesn't understand them?" Jaune asked.

"Once you figure yours out, you'll get a better grasp on it," Pyrrha said with a smile.

 **Kurama blinked at the sight and started when Haku stepped out of thin air next to him. "How did you-?"**

 **"My Semblance," Haku said quickly as he twisted his wrist and the whip unwound itself from the Bull before it followed him through the glass and appeared beside him. Haku shifted Snowfall back into the gun form and looked at Kurama. "I call it Mirror. It allows me to travel quickly between short distances in a void between time and space. Unfortunately because of this passage, I cannot take another living person with me."**

"That is really handy." Blake mused. It was simply awe-inspiring.

 **"...Still, that's impressive." Kurama noted. He shifted Rikudo from the rifle form back into the staff and flicked his wrist. The blades that dangled from the ring of the staff went straight and aligned at the top to form a spear. "The most I can do is take someone's aura and add it to my own or to another person's. Aura Transfer. As well as a high Aura sense."**

 **"Is that why your eyes are always concealed?" Haku asked.**

 **Kurama hesitated for a moment. "Yes."**

 **"Enough chatter, where's the idiot?" Sasuke asked as he joined his partner and the pretty girl he met the night before.**

 **"You thought you could keep me down, huh? Not so tough down here!" A boisterous cry made the three look over towards the Bull as Naruto charged at it. His grin was wild and crazed and his left fist was brought back behind his head. The punch was unleashed at the Bull's chin and the massive Grimm flew back a couple yards. Naruto didn't let up and continued to assault the Grimm with a cackle of glee crossed with one of insanity.**

Yang pursed her lips, "That's an odd mix of being really messed up and really, _really_ hot."

"Yang, can you _not_ ogle the fictional character for five seconds?" Weiss asked with a huff.

"I promise nothing!"

 **Kurama sighed. "This is why I'm glad I became your partner, Sasuke. He can't handle my Faunus Aura as well as you can."**

 **"Speaking of, think you can give me a charge to boost Kirin?" Sasuke asked.**

 **Kurama nodded and placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He looked at Haku as he transferred his Aura to his partner. "Help the idiot while we prepare to take the Grimm down, will you?"**

 **Haku gave a nod and a small smile. "Of course, he is my partner."**

 **"Good on you." Kurama grinned back as the feminine boy slipped into another one of his 'mirrors'. Kurama looked at Sasuke, whose eyes were shut and a small flush had painted itself across his face. Kurama's grin turned into a smirk.**

 **"Well, well...It seems that** ** _someone_** **has a bit of a crush on the new member of our little group."**

 **"Kurama, shut up." Sasuke snapped with a frown. He turned his head away slightly. "Besides, you saw her. She's gorgeous."**

"It's true…his skin is so silky looking." Weiss frowned, she was almost jealous.

 **Kurama's smirk widened. Sasuke thought Haku was a girl? Oh, he was** ** _so_** **going to milk this for all that it was worth. Now all he had to do, aside from survive the monster Grimm attacks, was insure that neither Naruto nor Haku himself ruined this for him. Keeping this thought in mind, Kurama only said one more thing to his partner.**

 **"Well, at least I can tell Naruto that you're definitely over the Librarian fetish."**

 **"I never had a damn fetish!"**

"Please, we all have a fetish." Yang scoffed.

"Yeah, yours is blond boys with whiskers on their cheeks who don't exist," Blake said with a smirk.

"And you like blond boys with abs of steel."

"...I hate you."

"Love you too, Blake."

 **"Up! Up! Down! Down! Left! Right! Left! Right! Back hand!**

"Hey, I know that combo." Jaune smiled, best video game combo ever!

 **And ...hammer shot!" Naruto cackled as he finished off his ten punch combo with a double fisted hammer punch to the Grimm Bull's snout. The Grimm flew back and collapsed the remains of the stone wall while Naruto laughed. "Eat that,** ** _bitch_** **! I call it the Ko Nami Combo!"**

"Now that just makes me want to game with him." Jaune mused.

"Maybe your other will, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled a little.

 **A hand gently placed itself on Naruto's shoulder and the red-eyed blond turned to face the owner of said hand. Haku nodded towards the other two boys and then looked up as clouds formed overhead. "I think we should probably fall back, Naruto."**

 **Naruto let out a whine as he looked from Haku to the slowly rising Grimm Bull and back. "But I'm winning!"**

"Ugh, he sounds like such a child." Weiss huffed.

"That's the charm of the idiot type." Blake pointed out.

"Hey, my other spotted him first." Yang warned her partner.

"He's not my type."

"Yet you and Sun seem _very_ close," Weiss said.

"Sun's not-...Oh not you, too!" Blake groaned. Yang patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, Blake. Our blond childish boys are sexy and they know it."

"Just...Just stop..."

 **"It would seem that way, but if you haven't noticed, none of your attacks have left any real damage to the Grimm's body." Haku pointed out. They looked back as a loud bang echoed around the valley. The tower started to collapse after the Nevermore had flown through it and the Deathstalker seemed to have the upper hand against the four that faced it. "Not to mention, we could help out the others if we finish one off.**

 **"...Yeah, you're right, we should finish this." Naruto sighed as his eyes reverted back to a calm ocean blue. His skin lost the red sheen and once more gained a bright golden glow as he faced the rising Grimm Bull. Naruto looked at Haku and arched a brow. "If I can get it to expose its stomach, can you pin it down with that whip thing?"**

 **"Easily, I just need a clear path through its legs," Haku said with a nod.**

 **Naruto slammed his fists together and his gauntlets whirred as two barrels popped up on the back of his fists. "Alright! Let's end this already with a big bang!"**

"Sort of attack?" Ruby asked.

"That's a terrible name for an attack," Weiss frowned, "You're more on the ball then this."

Ruby just shrugged, she was having an off day.

 **He charged forward just as the Grimm Bull stepped out of the rubble his last attack caused. Naruto threw his left hand behind him and tightened his fist as a shot fired from the barrel on his hand. The gunshot propelled him through the air to close the gap between him and the Grimm, but before he could impact with its face, Naruto spun so that he would slide on his back under the Grimm Bull's head.**

 **"Eat this, you overgrown piece of steak!" Naruto's right fist flew forward and collided with the Grimm's shadowy skin before the barrel on the back of his hand unleashed a large blast into the Grimm.**

Yang nearly swooned at the sight and a grin spread across her face. "I love a man with a nice set of gauntlets."

"...Your father wouldn't happen to have a weapon fetish, too, would he?" Weiss asked warily.

"Don't get your hopes up. He sent their dog in the mail, remember?" Blake reminded.

"...I fear so much right now."

 **The Grimm Bull reared back and was toppled as Haku used his Semblance to quickly disappear through several of his mirrors. With Snowfall in its whip mode, Haku was able to form a tight binding that kept the Grimm Bull's underbelly exposed. A final ripple appeared next to Naruto who grabbed the outstretched hand of his partner to pull him through and keep the whip taught.**

 **"Sasuke, they've got it!" Kurama announced as his aura mixed with Sasuke's and the latter threw his hands towards the darkened sky. Sasuke's now red eyes snapped open and he threw his hands down with a yell as a massive bolt of lightning, three times that of the last one that struck the Grimm Bull, descended from the heavens. The Grimm Bull, unable to move due to the binds, let out a bellow before the lightning bolt struck it.**

 **The monster was electrocuted to black wisps just as Ruby managed to decapitate the Nevermore and the Deathstalker's impaled body fell into the abyss below the collapsed tower.**

"Wow, we are so coordinated. Seriously, we did it all at once, that's awesome." Jaune cheered.

"We try to be." Ruby smiled as well.

 **Haku twisted his wrist and Snowfall returned to its gun mode while Naruto let out a triumphant cry as he threw his fists into the air.**

 **"Aw, yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Naruto exclaimed joyfully before he threw his arm around Haku's neck in a hug. "We charbroiled that thing!"**

 **"Indeed we did." Haku let a chuckle escape him while he slumped to the ground in mild exhaustion. "I don't remember the last time I've made so many mirrors."**

 **"** ** _That_** **was cool, too! I was right, you're an awesome partner!" Naruto laughed as he waved at the others as they started to return their trek back towards Beacon. "Yo! Who else wants to go find another Grimm?!"**

"He's insane." Weiss remarked, making Yang laugh.

"That's the fun thing about him." She said.

"Plus, sanity is overrated!" Nora declared.

"And you know what they say about the crazy ones..."

"Yang, y-you fiend!" Weiss chided her teammate with a red face while the other girls (save Nora and Ruby) did no better. Nora cackled while Ren and Jaune smirked or snickered at the girls' red faces.

"I don't get it." Ruby frowned. "What do they say about the crazy ones?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, Rubes."

 **"No!" The other ten yelled back at him.**

 **"You guys are** ** _lame_** **!"**

 **"Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Russell Thrush and Sky Lark. You retrieved the Black Bishop pieces and from this day forward, you four will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal), lead by Cardin Winchester." Ozpin's voice echoed through the auditorium as the teams for the first year students were announced. From the side behind their eight other friends, Naruto and Haku clapped politely while Sasuke and Kurama glared or sneered at the two they had encountered in the forest.**

"Boo, you stink!" Jaune jeered.

 **"I was really hoping those guys would get eaten." Kurama muttered to his partner.**

"We all wish." Blake said with her yellow eyes narrowed.

 **Sasuke nodded. "As was I."**

 **"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie." Ozpin nodded as the four in question stepped forward while the applause died down. "The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces."**

 **Naruto frowned. "But I thought they were gold?"**

"You know, I was wondering that, too." Jaune agreed.

 **"Shush, Naruto." Haku nudged his partner with a small smile on his face as Ozpin continued.**

 **"The four of you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)," Ozpin said. His next words made a few in the group of twelve blink in surprise or cheer, as Naruto did. "Led by Jaune Arc."**

 **"Yeah! Go PJ!" Kurama whooped from his place on the wall while Naruto whistled loudly as the boy stuttered in surprise. They laughed with many others as Pyrrha's congratulatory shoulder punch knocked him to the ground.**

 **The room quieted once more as the four girls walked onto the stage, save for a few catcalls. Yang ate it up and gave a wave to the room, winking at Naruto when he gave his own whistle.**

 **"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao-Long, the four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby)." Ozpin let a small smile cross his face as he looked at the youngest of the four girls. "Led by Ruby Rose."**

"So proud!"

"Yang, air!" Ruby wheezed out from the tight hug.

"I'm not sorry!"

 **"Good job, Ruby." Haku nodded in approval next to Sasuke.**

 **"Yeah! Go Ruby!" Naruto cheered while Kurama gave a whistle and clapped.**

 **Ruby was gob smacked while her sister engulfed her in a hug. She could hardly talk as they walked off stage and Naruto led his merry band of four up.**

 **"And finally, Kurama Ōtsutsuki, Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haku Yuki. You four retrieved the White Bishop pieces–"**

 **"They were gold." Naruto cut in, which caused him to get elbowed by his partner. "Ow."**

"I really wanted to ask him about it, but on stage was a bit much." Jaune confessed, rubbing his arm.

 **Luckily, Ozpin continued without taking notice of his interjection. "And from henceforth you shall be known as Team NHKS (Knox), led by Naruto Uzumaki."**

"Like the bank?" Ruby asked.

"No, like the mall." Weiss rolled her eyes at her partner.

"Whoa, there's a bank mall?"

Weiss palmed her face. Ruby was so doing this on purpose.

 **"Yes! Eat that, Kon Academy! Who's most likely to end up in jail or eaten by a Grimm now!?" Naruto cheered with a wide grin as the room applauded for him. He brought Haku into a one armed hug and lightly punched his shoulder. "It's official, we're going to be the greatest team on Remnant!"**

"Doubt it." The other teams disagreed. It wasn't done with malice, but their pride was the thing mostly talking.

 **Haku chuckled and patted his partner's arm. "If you say so, Naruto. But, please loosen your grip."**

 **Kurama chuckled while Sasuke sighed. "We're never going to get hired after our first job."**

 **"Probably not," Kurama said with a smile. "But it's sure as hell going to be four fun years."**

 **"That's if our leader doesn't get us expelled."**

 **"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?"**

"He's a real glutton for punishment." Blake said with a small smile.

"More like an egotistical oaf." Weiss huffed.

"...Wow, you want dat foxy boy _bad_."

"Shut _up_ , Yang!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do** ** _not_** **own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **IV: Day One**

"Alright, out of the forest and into the classroom..." Jaune cheered. He hung his head and frowned. "Man, I'd rather be back in the forest. My grades suck..."

"I keep telling you that you've gotta eat Ren's pancakes in the morning, Jaune," Nora said with a wag of her finger.

 **"Most pretty...so beautiful...Yes, lovelies, I love you all...Even you..." Naruto had a silly grin on his face as he slept in his assigned bed. The grin widened as he snuggled into his bed with his arms wrapped around his pillow. There was a small puddle of drool next to his face.**

"Well, he must be having one heck of a dream!" Yang laughed.

"Ugh, that's disgusting." Weiss frowned.

 **"I love you all...My wonderful...luscious...well-rounded...smoking hot…**

"Ooh harem party."

"Yang, shut up!" Ruby groaned and covered her ears.

 ** _giant_** **...** ** _big_** **...** ** _squeezable_** **...** ** _noodles_** **..."**

Blake smirked at her partner. "Yes, that's one dirty dream, isn't it, Yang?"

Yang rolled her eyes and refused to take the bait. She failed to hide her disappointment, though.

 **Haku stared at his slumbering partner with mild surprise while he waited for the bathroom to become open. He had awoken early at six, but was surprised to find that Kurama had beaten him to the bathroom. Sasuke was just now starting to stir while Naruto, well...**

 **"I love you, Ramen..." Naruto proceeded to gnaw on the corner of his pillow that he held in his arms.**

 **He was still in dreamland.**

 **"Didn't peg him to be such a talkative sleeper, did you?" Kurama's voice startled the other boy slightly. Haku arched a brow as he took in the...modified uniform that Kurama wore. He'd ditched the jacket entirely and replaced the blue vest with a red one along with a tie that had a curled up fox pin in the middle of it, rather than the plain red tie they had been issued. His sunglasses were back in place, and Haku was slightly curious as to what the Faunus' eyes looked like.**

"Thank you school regulations!" Ruby cheered as she hugged her beloved cape.

 **Realizing he'd yet to answer Kurama's question, Haku gave him a sheepish smile.**

 **"I hardly know anything about any of you," He said. "We all sort of rushed to our rooms and went to bed. You three fell asleep before I had even finished my evening wash."**

"Nice to know a boy with a good sense of hygiene." Weiss laughed to herself.

"I got nothing on that." Jaune conceded.

 **Kurama nodded and brought his tail around in order for him to brush it. "Sorry about that, but I had drained two other students in the forest and empowered Naruto twice along with Sasuke's one time. It was taxing for me. Sasuke, likewise, was exhausted from using his Semblance along with my aura. Naruto...He's just a lazy bastard."**

"There's nothing wrong with sleeping in once in a while." Ren defended.

"That's because you stay up all night." Nora chided her best friend.

"...Only a few times."

 **"So I see." Haku chuckled and gathered his clothes. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll shower and dress before the other two wake up."**

 **"Sure thing. Don't worry about finding any fuzzy surprises, I don't shed when I bathe." Kurama chuckled at his own joke while Haku let out a soft laugh of his own. Kurama waited until the bathroom door had shut and the shower had started before he looked over to his partner.**

 **"Haku's in the shower now, you can stop covering your morning problem."**

 **"Screw you, Ōtsutsuki." Sasuke grumbled as he sat up and covered his morning problem with his blanket. "How the hell are you and Naruto not having this problem with her so close by?"**

"Just put him out of his misery already." Blake shook her head at 'male-Blake's problem.

 **Kurama's grin widened at the inaccurate pronoun, but concealed it as he began to carefully brush his tail.**

 **"I can't say anything for the ramen addict, but as for me? I'm not that interested in you hairless apes," Kurama said. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the insult while the fox-tailed teen continued. "I plan to find myself a nice Faunus girl later in life and have a litter or two like my father did. Hopefully nothing like my siblings were, though..."**

 **Sasuke snorted and waited for a few minutes before his morning problem went away. He looked around the rather bland room and then looked over at the generic clock on the wall. "It's only six forty-five? We've got less than two hours before classes start."**

 **"Well, would you like to wake sleeping beauty or – GAH!" Kurama suddenly went rigid and clapped his hands over his ears as he fell off of his bed to the floor. "Son of a** ** _bitch_** **! Who blew that whistle!?"**

"…I didn't do it!" Ruby cried instinctively. She shrunk down from Weiss' glare.

"It was stupid." Blake pointed out, her poor sensitive ears.

"It was unnecessary." Weiss argued.

"I thought it was a riot." Yang shrugged with a smile on her face.

 **"Who? What? Where's the ramen thief!?" Naruto asked after he shot up from his bed ready to fight. He looked around the room and then frowned. "Hey...This isn't Ichiraku's All-You-Can-Eat Ramen Buffett!"**

 **"That was just a dream, idiot." Sasuke grumbled as he wiggled a finger in his ear. He got up and went over to the window, which he promptly slammed shut. "Soundproofed up until you leave a window open."**

 **"When I find whoever blew that goddamned whistle I'm going to kill them," Kurama said with a low growl as he got back to his feet and adjusted his glasses.**

Ruby wisely decided to hide behind Yang. She made the best shield.

 **He fixed his uniform and looked at his tail and the comb on the floor. "Oh, dammit, I lost count!"**

"Ugh, I hate when that happens." Yang pouted and started to pet her hair. "Such a time consumption."

"...You brush your hair?" Jaune asked.

"Duh."

 **"Aw, man, that was just another dream!?" Naruto sulked. He raised a fist to the ceiling and shook it menacingly. "Curse you reality! You show me happiness and then snatch it away before I can partake in it!"**

 **"Partake in what?" The three looked at Haku as he stepped out of the shower in the men's uniform. Sasuke looked very surprised at this while Naruto and Kurama merely glanced at him.**

 **Naruto gave the uniform a once over and shook his head while his arms crossed over his shoulders firmly. "I'm** ** _not_** **wearing that. Too stuffy."**

 **Kurama sighed. "Naruto, you can modify your uniform** ** _slightly_** **, but you must wear it to class."**

 **"Make me!"**

"Get the duct tape!" Nora declared with her fist in the air.

"Sounds like a good time," Yang said. She laughed when the others glared at her.

 **Kurama looked at Sasuke, who stood up and promptly went to the bathroom with his clothes in his arm. It was his way of saying, "This is your problem, and I'll let you deal with it."**

 **Frankly, Kurama felt as though his partner had ditched him. With an aggravated sigh, Kurama looked at his longtime friend. "Naruto-"**

 **Naruto's eyes darted to the Faunus. "Kurama, that thing tells me that the wearer is high class, obnoxious, snotty, no fun and bland! I am none of those things!"**

"I beg to differ, our uniform makes us look like da bomb." Yang grinned.

"The boys' uniform is a bit tight in the collar." Jaune pursed his lips. "And a bit...preppy..."

"Sucks for you guys," Yang said without sympathy.

 **Kurama sighed. "Well, you're wrong on two accounts."**

 **"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a scowl.**

 **"Naruto," Haku said as he put a hand on his partner's shoulder before Kurama could answer him. "As our team leader, you are expected to set an example. By not conforming to the rules, you make yourself look ill-suited to be the team leader and make us look unequipped or unprepared for the challenges that we face ahead."**

Ruby winced. That was why she tried so hard...after Weiss blew up on her. She liked being leader, despite the challenges it forced on her, and wanted to do her best at it.

 **Naruto frowned and crossed his arms childishly. "Yeah, but...there's no orange."**

"Oh my-! Really?" Weiss deadpanned. " _That's_ the problem?"

"Hey! We all have our quirks." Ruby pouted at her partner while she hugged her cape.

 **"And thus we come to the** ** _real_** **problem with the uniform," Kurama said with a roll of his eyes. He gestured to himself. "Naruto, look at me. I all but ditched the jacket and swapped out the vest and tie. This is still acceptable and you can wear your uniform however you wish."**

 **"...I gotta wear the shoes, shirt and pants, though?"**

 **"And a tie." Kurama added.**

 **Naruto grimaced. "I hate dressing nice."**

 **"I totally agree." Kurama nodded. They looked up as Sasuke walked out with the jacket and vest over his shoulder.**

 **"They can't seriously expect us to wear these without modifying them, can they?" Sasuke asked.**

 **Haku looked down at himself and arched a brow. "I don't see anything wrong with it."**

 **"That's because it suits you," Sasuke said with a smile.**

"It really does." Pyrrha nodded. Her comment pulled the attention to her and she began to stammer. "Um, well…"

 **Naruto blinked in confusion while Kurama smirked and snickered. Before the leader of Team NHKS could ask what was so funny, Sasuke looked at him. "Your turn to shower, idiot. Don't use all the water in the ocean."**

 **"You guys are so mean..." Naruto huffed as he disappeared into the bathroom with the uniform and a few other clothes in his arms.**

 **Haku looked at the two and folded his arms over his chest. "He does have a point. That's rather cruel to call your friend an idiot multiple times."**

 **"True, but we're just ribbing him." Sasuke shrugged. "He's not dumb, but he's not the brightest bulb in the house, either. He knows when we're kidding around. However, we probably should warn you about his classroom...habits."**

"And I suddenly felt a chill go down my spine." Weiss narrowed her eyes. She stole a glance at an innocently whistling Ruby, who was still seated behind Yang.

 **"Habits?" Haku asked as he ignored the loud bangs that came from a nearby room.**

 **Sasuke and Kurama exchanged a look before Kurama turned to Haku. "Naruto does not do well in classrooms."**

 **"Does he have a learning disorder?" Haku asked.**

 **Sasuke shook his head as he pulled on a navy vest that had his symbol on the back. "No, he's just** ** _bored_** **. He never really understood what use any technical words or theories could have in a field. He's a kinesthetic learner through and through.**

"Jaune does better with a hands on approach, as well." Pyrrha added. She threw a smile at her partner. "You tend to get bored in class."

"Only in some. Others are sort of interesting." Jaune admitted while he scratched the back of his head.

 **Outside of class and on a mission, there's no one else I'd want to lead me."**

 **Kurama nodded. "He's very good at what he does."**

 **"Interesting," Haku said as he took in this new information about his partner. His thoughts were put on hold as Naruto came out of the bathroom in part of the school uniform without the jacket on. His white shirt's sleeves were rolled up to his bicep, and somehow in the few minutes Naruto was in the bathroom, another patch with Naruto's swirl-like symbol was sewn almost professionally into the right shoulder. Unlike his friends, he'd kept the navy vest with Beacon's insignia and Naruto was in the process of adjusting his orange tie.**

"Mm, mama likes." Yang let her half-lidded eyes roam over the image as her smile grew.

"Down girl." Blake bopped her teammate on the head gently.

 **"This thing is such a pain," Naruto said with a sigh as he gave up. He looked around at the surprised looks on his friend's faces. "What?"**

 **"...Damn, stupid, you clean up good. If you had dressed up more often back in Kon, I think you could've had at least two girlfriends by now." Kurama mused with a grin. He was comfortable with his sexuality enough to know when a fellow male looked good, but whereas Haku was nearly a girl in beauty or Sasuke had the right angles that gave off the prince-like appearance, Naruto was the handsome rogue, much like himself.**

 **"Oi! I had a girlfriend!"**

"Really?" Yang asked, her smile dimming slightly.

 **"A few dates with a girl doesn't make her your girlfriend, Naruto." Sasuke drawled.**

"Oh, cool. I get to break him in then." Yang's grin returned to its previous size.

"...I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." Blake and Weiss drawled together.

"Ditto." Ruby mumbled from her sanctuary.

 **Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at the door when there was another bang. "Geez, who's being so crazy at a stupid hour?"**

 **"Probably PJ," Kurama said nonchalantly as he resumed brushing his tail.**

 **"Think they're up?" Naruto asked as he leaned against his designated dresser. He watched Haku and Sasuke as they began to make their beds and looked at his mess with an indifferent gaze.**

 **"Hard not to be after that whistle." Kurama grumbled.**

"…"

"Ruby, stop hiding behind me already." The older sister sighed.

"No, he's scary! Like a big bad Beowolf!"

"That's just a story!"

"It's a scary story!"

"Ruby, I'll fart! I mean it!" Yang warned.

Ruby scowled and crawled out from behind her sister, going back to her seat next to Weiss. Blake glared daggers at Yang.

"If you do need to pass gas, please leave the room. I'd rather not die again."

"Oh, c'mon...I'll just bring you back with some CPR."

Blake smacked the snickering Yang's arm while she flushed.

 **An hour later, Naruto led his team out of their room, with Haku beside him looking at their schedule and map of Beacon. Kurama followed behind them, his brushed tail swished lazily inches from the ground, and Sasuke walked alongside him, his face buried in the most recent release of 'Ninjas of Love'.**

"Huh, he really is male-Blake." Weiss admitted.

"That means nothing." Blake hedged, her cheeks pink.

 **"You know, a lot of people give the Toad crap for his dirty books, but I have to say, there's some decent plot here." Sasuke mused.**

 **"I still can't believe you're reading that in public." Haku muttered distractedly as he looked on the map for their first class.**

 **To Sasuke, however, it sounded angry and he grimaced.**

 **Kurama saw this and grinned widely. Oh, this could be fun.**

 **"I totally agree," he said with a nod. "Only the most perverted men can read such garbage in public."**

 **Sasuke snapped the book shut and glared at Kurama, who merely gave him a grin in return.**

"At least our Blake isn't so lewd to do such a thing."

"Right? She'd be a bit more fun, though."

"I can kill you two in your sleep." Blake threatened the white and blonde haired girls. The girls zipped their lips, but were still grinning in victory.

 **Naruto, who walked lazily with his hands intertwined behind his head, paused as a faint yell came from somewhere behind him. "Did you guys hear that?"**

 **"Hear what?" Haku, Kurama and Sasuke asked. Kurama's tail flicked and he tilted his head.**

 **"Hm, I think our clock's off by a few minutes," he said.**

 **Haku lowered the map and looked back at him. "Why do you say that?"**

 **Kurama stepped to the side of the walk and gestured for the others to do the same. "Well, for one thing, most of the Aura I sense is already gathered in large groups. However, there are a few small groups, including us, that are outside of the gathered areas. Two such small groups are rapidly approaching and should pass by in five, four, three, two..."**

 **"WE'RE LATE!" Jaune cried out as he and his team followed Team RWBY. Naruto waved at the two teams as they shot past and then let his hands rest behind his head.**

"Man, his radar is awesome." Nora hummed. "I wonder if he uses his tail to connect to an outlet to recharge or something. That'd be funny, like those old cartoons!"

"And potentially dangerous," Ren said.

"...Yeah, but it'd still be funny!"

 **"We should probably fix our clock." Sasuke noted as he pulled his book out from behind his back. He'd seen what happened to a few boys that dared show some girls they read the series, and with a group comprised of six girls, Sasuke didn't want to take any chances.**

"Nah, Blake would be cool with it."

"Yang, stop talking. Now."

"Sure, sure, whatever ninja girl."

 **He was already on thin ice with Haku as it is.**

 **"Meh, what's done is done." Naruto shrugged. "Can't fix the past."**

 **"But you can determine the future."**

 **Team NHKS looked to their right as Professor Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch stopped at the intersection beside them. Ozpin had his coffee mug in hand while Glynda had her scroll out and was looking something over.**

 **Naruto smiled at the headmaster and gave a small wave. "Morning, Professor!"**

 **"Mr. Uzumaki." Ozpin nodded back and took a sip from his mug. "Aren't you worried about being late for class?"**

 **Naruto chuckled sheepishly and let one of his hands fall to his side while the other rubbed his neck. "Eh, we weren't five minutes ago when we thought our room's clock was working fine, but now that we know otherwise, there wasn't much chance for us to be on time anyway. As my old teacher Kakashi use to say, why hurry when we'll already be declared late?"**

"Wow," Ruby said, wide eyed. "I feel so stupid for rushing now."

"We were only late by a minute." Weiss frowned.

"Still, we ran for no reason! And while I like a good run, it's not fun if it's pointless!"

"...Class isn't pointless Ruby." Weiss sighed into her hand.

"Sometimes." Ruby argued.

"She's got a point," Yang said with a nod, a few agreeing mumbles and nods coming from Team JNPR.

 **Ozpin let a small smile cross his face. "Kakashi Hatake? I was not aware he'd taken to teaching. He's a good huntsman, a wise man as well."**

 **"** ** _Wise_** **is not the word I would use to describe him." Glynda drawled as she looked up from her scroll and her gaze landed on Naruto and his team. She shut her scroll with a snap and crossed her arms. "Mr. Uzumaki, where are your jackets and ties?"**

 **"Eh, we ditched 'em. They were too stuffy," Naruto said with a shrug.**

"No fear...the fool." Jaune whispered. Goodwitch was one scary woman.

 **Sasuke clapped his hand over his face while Kurama chuckled at the blunt honesty. Haku merely sighed and folded his campus map up, there was no real reason to have it out anymore since, like Naruto said, they were already late.**

 **"Mr. Uzumaki, it is listed in Beacon Academy's rules for students to attend classes in uniform." Glynda frowned at the boy.**

 **Ozpin cleared his throat and looked at his friend. "Now, Glynda, you as well as I know that adjustments can be made or accessories can be added to the uniform. In this case, it seems that Team NHKS has decided to exchange some materials while keeping with the style."**

 **"Professor Ozpin..." Glynda began to say only to stop herself and sigh. "Of course, Professor. It is your school."**

"Professor Ozpin is so awesome." Ruby smiled at their Headmaster.

"Big time." Jaune smiled faintly.

 **"Quite." Ozpin agreed with a small smile before he looked at Team NHKS. "And while your tardiness today can be overlooked, I would advise you not let it become a habit, Mr. Uzumaki."**

 **Naruto let a nervous chuckle out and nodded. "Right, sorry Professor Ozpin."**

 **"Professor, since you're here could you tell us where our classroom is?" Haku asked politely.**

 **Ozpin nodded and pointed down the way Teams RWBY and JNPR had run. Team NHKS walked off after thanking him and the headmaster took a sip of his coffee. "A nice group of boys, aren't they Glynda?"**

 **"Mr. Uzumaki and Mr. Ōtsutsuki are highly rated in combat, but their penchant for mischief and troublemaking when together worries me," Glynda said as she adjusted her glasses. "And while Mr. Uchiha and Mr. Yuki are not prone to the same delinquency, I do not have confidence that they'll be able to contain the other two."**

"Boo to containment!" Yang jeered. "Where's the fun without some troublemakers?"

"CRDL?" Pyrrha arched a brow at the blonde.

"They were bullies, not troublemakers," Yang said, waving off the Mistral champion. "Troublemakers are mischievous boys who just want to get a laugh, or punish the wicked."

"Oh...I see." Pyrrha nodded in understanding.

 **"So you have informed me time and again when we reviewed their initiation." Ozpin wryly replied before he took another sip from his coffee mug and continued his stroll.**

 **"My grandfather said 'Peter, you've' – Oh, hello, boys!" A rotund man at the front of a classroom said when Team NHKS came in through the doors. "Team NHKS, was it?"**

 **"Yes sir," Naruto said with a grin while his teammates walked down a few steps and slid into a row, leaving the seat on the end for Naruto. They had been tardy all day and after their last class this fact had earned them a talking to from their professor. The team leader scratched the back of his head as he looked at the last professor he'd have to deal with today. "Sorry we're late, we sort of got lost on the road of life."**

Ruby rubbed her chin. "That's a good one..."

Weiss poked her finger into Ruby's cheek. "No, you can't use that excuse."

"But it's perfect!" The red-themed girl whined.

"No, Ruby."

 **Sasuke groaned and let his head fall onto the desk in front of him while Kurama let out a single laugh. Haku sighed and pulled out his Scroll to take some notes for the class.**

 **The professor seemed to accept this answer, much to the bewilderment of the other students, since he nodded his head and smiled. "Ah, very problematic that road can be. It takes a well-educated mind and a finely tuned body to traverse it with ease.**

"Oh come on!" Weiss furrowed her brow and scowled when Ruby gave her a smug smile.

"See? Told you it's perfect."

"Shut up, Ruby."

 **You may have a seat, Mr. Uzumaki. I'm Professor Port, if you didn't already know."**

 **"Thanks, Prof. P." Naruto gave a two-fingered salute and plopped down in his seat.**

 **Professor Port nodded back and looked around the classroom. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, my story. You see back when I was a young lad..."**

 **Haku nearly jumped when Naruto suddenly slumped over, out cold and letting out soft snores. The feminine boy looked to his two other teammates, who shrugged or smiled in a 'what-can-you-do?' fashion.**

"…He has classroom narcolepsy?" Blake asked, perplexed at the thought.

"Best. Disease. Ever." Jaune was in awe at how fast Naruto zonked out. "That's gotta be a record or something..."

 **Realizing that they weren't kidding when it came to Naruto's lack of desire for education, Haku sighed and made an additional note at the top of his page to ensure Naruto got a copy.**

 **Kurama decided to take time to appreciate the notes of the Grimm on the board and tuned the professor out. He did arch a brow when he thought he heard the word cabbages, but ultimately decided to resume his studying of the board's notes on the structure and weak points of a Deathstalker.**

"That would have been useful before we fought it." Jaune deadpanned.

Pyrrha shrugged. "What can you do? We did it and that's what counts."

"Right..." Jaune nodded with a small smile.

 **Sasuke, like Haku, had his scroll out and was taking down notes. Unlike, Haku, however, he was making notes of his observations on the teacher himself rather than the material that was being discussed.**

 ** _Narcissistic, egotistical, whimsical, boring, and to top it all off he's F-A-!_** **Sasuke's thought broke off when the professor cleared his throat and gave a pointed look to Team RWBY, who had unfortunately been stuck in the first row. Sasuke arched a brow and smirked as Professor Port stared the four girls down.** ** _Well, that sucks for them._**

"Not cool." Yang frowned at Sasuke. "It was weird enough for us, but did he have to point it out?"

"He's got that kind of attitude," Jaune said with a frown. "Like a mean Ren."

Ren frowned. "Are you trying to imply something?"

"Er...No?" Jaune swallowed when Nora reached for her beloved hammer...that he didn't realize was in the room.

 **"In conclusion, a true Huntsman must be honorable."**

 **Kurama looked out the window as a butterfly passed by before a bird snagged it. He smirked.** ** _The wonders of nature._**

 **"True Huntsmen must be dependable."**

 **Naruto snorted awake and took in his surroundings.** ** _Geez, this guy's still talking? Curse you reality, you once more keep me from which I love right as I'm about to truly experience bliss..._**

 **"True Huntsmen must be strategic, well-educated and wise!"**

 **Sasuke sighed as he let his Scroll rest in front of him and glanced lazily at Professor Port.** ** _Shame you're none of those last three things._**

"He's not _that_ bad." Weiss defended the rotund professor with a frown.

 ** _I can see you checking out the Fem-Naruto from here-_**

"I knew it!" Yang's eyes flashed red.

"Yang, take it easy." Ruby tried to placate her sister while Blake grabbed the blonde's shoulder. Yang grumbled to herself and her eyes cooled down into lilac. Her arms crossed under her bust and she scowled.

"I demand compensation!"

"You probably won't get it." Weiss drawled.

"I can still demand it!"

 ** _Wait...Did I just call her a...? Oh crap-baskets, he's rubbing off on me!_**

 **"Now, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Prof. Port asked as he looked around the room.**

 **Naruto arched a brow. "What traits?"**

 **Haku offered his scroll and Naruto looked them over.**

 **"Nope, not me." He decided with a chuckle as he rested his head on his arms.**

"Well, at least he's honest." Pyrrha chuckled at Naruto's blunt nature.

 **"Offer him some lien, though," Kurama said with a smirk.**

 **"Hey, more lien means more ramen, and I'm** ** _always_** **up for more ramen!" Naruto returned with a cheeky grin.**

 **Sasuke shook his head. "There's no one here who truly feels that way about themselves."**

 **"Aside from you?" Naruto asked.**

 **Sasuke shook his head. "Even** ** _I'm_** **not that full of myself."**

Weiss made herself small when her teammates looked at her.

"Not. One. Word." She warned.

 **"I do, sir!" Weiss' hand shot up.**

 **"I stand corrected, apparently there** ** _is_** **someone here who truly feels that way about themselves," Sasuke said in surprise.**

 **"Wow, someone more egotistical than Sasuke. Maybe we were wrong," Naruto said. "Maybe Sneeze is the Fem-Sasuke instead of Bell."**

"…I'm going to murder him." Weiss fumed while Blake had mixed feelings on the matter.

 **Kurama chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "Man, I wish I had a camera ready. This is going to be good."**

 **Haku sighed and closed his Scroll as a rattling cage slowly rose up from the ground. "I believe there's no more notes to be taken today."**

 **"Aw, man! There's a Grimm!? I would've said something if I'd known there was a Grimm to fight," Naruto said with a pout as Professor Port gestured to the cage and told Weiss to get ready to face the monster. They waited for a few minutes before Weiss returned with her white themed outfit on and rapier in hand.**

 **"Go Weiss!" Yang cheered.**

 **Blake waved a small flag with her team's name on it. "Fight well."**

 **"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" Ruby cheered.**

"D'aww." Yang reached over and pinched Ruby's flushed cheek. "Such a cute widdle weader!"

"Shhoop!" Ruby winced out, waving her arms around. Blake rolled her eyes and smacked Yang's arm out of her face. Ruby rubbed her cheek and smiled at her Faunus teammate. "Thanks Blake."

Blake just nodded.

 **Kurama chuckled. "Oh, I want to jeer at Schnee, but that was just adorable."**

"See? Even grumpy Kurama thinks your cute!" Yang smirked. "Careful, Weiss, Ruby's movin' in on your man."

"That's _not_ funny." Weiss scowled at the thought while Ruby turned red.

"I beg to differ."

 **"Kurama's got a weak spot for cute girls," Naruto said to his partner, who nodded.**

 **"I completely understand." Haku smiled lightly. "Ruby is a cute girl, it's hard not to have a weak spot for her."**

 **"Yeah, if she pouted at him, I'm fairly certain he'd bend to her every whim," Naruto said with a grin.**

 **"I would not!" Kurama snapped with a scowl as he glared at the blond.**

Ruby gained a gleam in her eyes.

 **Sasuke smirked. "Well, Naruto, it seems that Kurama has decided to indulge in denial."**

 **"Oh, so he's on that boat with you, huh?"**

 **Now both Kurama** ** _and_** **Sasuke were glaring at the grinning blond.**

 **"All right, let the match...begin!" Port declared as he used his blunderbuss-axe to remove the lock from the unknown Grimm's cage. The cage door fell down to reveal a shadowy warthog-like creature with the white bone mask connected to two large tusks and plates scattered across its small body. Weiss avoided the initial charge that the Grimm made and even dealt a counter out as she did.**

 **"Hm, not bad," Sasuke said thoughtfully. "Had Borbatusks not been so heavily armored, I'd say that this would already be over."**

 **"Indeed," Haku said as he observed the fight.**

 **Kurama laughed when Weiss' rapier was caught in the Grimm's tusks. "She actually charged at it? Come on, even newbies at Kon knew that Borbatusk's are more armored near the head so that they can handle the impact their attacks make."**

"Repugnant little-!" Weiss looked red in the face at her own fault, but she didn't need to be reminded of it from some ruffian!

"We'll have to cover Ruby's eyes and ears." Yang mused.

"Shut up, Yang!"

 **Naruto groaned as Weiss was disarmed. "Man, she's really not paying attention to this thing at all, is she?"**

 **"Nope." Haku agreed as he shook his head. This was actually kind of irritating to watch. He sighed when Weiss dodged the Borbatusk's charge and the Grimm bounced off of the desk without any damage done to the wood. "She does remember that she can use her Semblance, right? I would assume that since Professor Port can bring a Borbatusk into the classroom that there would be some sort of safety measures in place for the other students."**

"He brings up a good point, that was dangerous." Blake frowned.

 **"Or there's not and we're just expected to be able to dodge," Naruto said. He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his head. "We are training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses after all."**

"...That makes more sense." Blake mumbled.

 **"True." Haku conceded.**

 **"Weiss, go for its belly! There's no armor underneath it-"**

 **"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss cut Ruby off.**

 **Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Not cool."**

 **"It seems that Team RWBY has more cracks than one would think," Haku said.**

"Every team has them starting out." Ruby mumbled.

"We didn't." Jaune said, well, except for his debacle, but they took care of that quickly enough. He pointed at the screen. "Team NHKS doesn't seem to either."

"Three of them have been friends for a while, though," Blake said pointedly.

"Yeah, but Haku's new, wouldn't that throw off the balance?" Jaune asked.

 **Sasuke crossed his arms. "There was bound to be a clash of all those different personalities. The only reason I get along so well with idiot one and idiot two is because we've known each other since childhood. And you fit in with us because, well, you're nice and polite, something to balance out our leader's brash and rude attitude."**

"That answers your question, Jaune. Haku has a very calming presence, much like Ren." Pyrrha looked to her teammate. Ren nodded at her in thanks for the compliment.

"...Man, they really kind of lucked out, didn't they?" Jaune mumbled.

"Some of the worst fights can be between friends," Blake said as she and Weiss had a brief glance with each other.

 **"Screw you, Uchiha." Naruto flipped the dark haired boy off without removing his eyes from the fight. He pursed his lips as the Borbatusk curled into a ball and spun rapidly before it charged at Weiss. "I'd punch it, grab a tusk and bury the head into the ground, then use a bullet to finish it off."**

 **"Restrain and reveal the underbelly, then do the same." Haku nodded.**

 **Kurama dug in his ear with his pinky. "Eh, I'd probably find a way to knock it on it's back and pierce it with Rikudo."**

 **"I would electrocute it." Sasuke shrugged when the three other members of his team looked at him. "What? When it works, it works."**

"Damn elementals, having it so easy." Yang huffed.

"...Yang, you can bench like three of you." Nora pointed out.

"...And?"

"Just saying."

 **"True." The other three conceded and watched as Weiss made a few figures in the air to reflect the Borbatusk and then jump off of to impale the Grimm with her rapier.**

 **"Bravo!" Professor Port said as a few members of the class applauded. "It seems that we're in the presence of a true Huntress!"**

 **Kurama snorted and flicked the discovery in his ear off to the side. "Yeah, she's a true huntress and I'm going to ask her to marry me."**

"Heavens no!" Weiss exclaimed with a face.

"Here comes the bride, dressed just like _Weiss_..." Yang sang softly with a grin. "Here comes the groom, howling at the moon!"

"Shut _up_ , Yang!" Weiss and Blake glared at the snickering blonde. The former for obvious reasons and the latter for the very inaccurate and racist comment.

 **"Careful, Kurama, that's how those sorts of rumors get started." Sasuke warned his partner with a smirk. He stood up as Professor Port dismissed the class.**

 **"Oh, like you can start a rumor, Sasuke." Kurama scoffed. He buffed his nails on his chest and smirked. "You're but a novice in the art of gossip, whereas I am a master. I did manage to get** ** _that_** **rumor started after all."**

 **Sasuke and Naruto shuddered while Haku frowned in confusion.**

"Now I really want the dirt on that rumor," Yang said earnestly.

 **"What rumor?" he asked.**

 **"Nothing!" Sasuke and Naruto cut in quickly before Kurama could answer him. They glared at the grinning Faunus as he slipped by them and walked out of the classroom.**

 **"If you say so..." Haku frowned in confusion while both Naruto and Sasuke sighed in relief.**

 **They certainly dodged that bullet.**

"Boo! Tell us now!" Yang yelled at the screen.

 **"Hey, Whisker Boy, where've you been all day?" Yang said to her fellow blonde as Team NHKS walked up to herself and Blake while they sat with the boys of Team JNPR. The girls were in the midst of a spar, with Pyrrha offering advice to the energetic Nora after each attack she missed.**

"You never sit still!" Nora accused childishly with a look of contempt.

Pyrrha gave her a weak smile in return. "Well, you're hammer looks like it hurts. A lot."

"…Only a little." Nora mumbled.

"I'll still dodge then."

"Lame!"

 **"Getting in trouble for having a broken clock and being late to every class today. How's it** ** _Yanging_** **?" Naruto asked with a grin while Yang laughed and Blake sighed.**

 **"No more puns, please?" Blake asked.**

"That's like asking the sun not to rise." Yang scoffed.

Blake sighed in defeat.

 **Naruto grinned at her as he took the spot next to Yang. "No promises, Bell."**

 **Sasuke shook his head and sat down next to Ren, while Kurama claimed the seat next to him. "Good luck with that. We've been trying to get him to stop being stupid for years. The most we can manage...Well, Kurama?"**

 **Kurama nodded and reached his jacket to withdraw a rubber chicken. He then tossed the chicken on the ground in front of Naruto. "Naruto. Don't do anything stupid."**

 **Naruto stared at the chicken and looked like he was about to start hyperventilating before he whipped out a paddleball from somewhere. "Must, resist, stupidity impulse!"**

"Wow, he's got a process." Ruby blinked.

"I thought it was just a hobby last time." Yang admitted with a snigger.

 **"Is that healthy?" Blake asked as she arched a brow while Yang snickered.**

 **"It gets better." Kurama smirked as he threw down a marker and a can of green beans.**

"Isn't that a bit cruel?" Pyrrha frowned.

"I don't think he cares." Weiss sniffed and crossed her arms.

 **Naruto did start to hyperventilate and sweat poured down the side of his face. The paddleball became a blur as Naruto's eyes flickered between the objects he desired to use so badly and the current source of 'entertainment' he had on hand. "Must, resist, stupidity impulse...Must...Resist...Not resisting well!"**

 **"That's not normal." Haku pointed out with a look of concern on his face.**

"It's not, and I'm getting a little scared." Ruby started to curl up into a ball of safety.

 **Kurama chuckled. "No, but it is funny. With so many people present, it's harder, but if he was by himself, he'd last longer."**

 **"So he gets off on having an audience?" Yang asked with a lewd grin as she stared at the sweating and trembling whiskered blond. "What's wrong, Naruto? Performance problems?"**

"Yang," Pyrrha frowned.

Yang shrugged. "What? It's an innocent question."

 **"Woman, do not tease me right now!" Naruto grit out as bullets of sweat shot from his head while the paddleball looked like it was about to burst into flame – never mind, there it goes.**

 **Yang grinned and, despite the frantic waving coming from Kurama and Sasuke, leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I can help you with those problems..."**

"Why in the world would you poke a bomb!?" Blake glared at her partner.

"Because it's fun?"

Blake groaned while Nora cheered.

"Boom!"

 **The paddleball snapped off the string and shot into the sky. Naruto tossed the ball-less paddleball away and grabbed his head with an anguished cry. "I can't take it anymore!"**

 **He vanished in a burst of speed that left a large cloud of smoke in his image. Yang waved her hand through it and the smoke scattered in the air. The items at his feet were gone, as if they were never there.**

"Why to go, Yang." Ruby deadpanned.

"...I'm not apologizing." Yang huffed.

 **"...Oh, Oum, what have we done?" Kurama mumbled. His skin seemed to pale and his glasses slid down slightly to nearly reveal the top of his eyes. "We** ** _armed_** **him!"**

"Well, there goes Beacon." Ruby slumped her shoulders.

 **Sasuke looked worried. "You don't think he'd actually prank** ** _her_** **first, do you?"**

 **"Um...Prank who?" Jaune asked nervously.**

 **"Sasuke's fetish appeal."**

"Goodwitch?!" Jaune paled. Oh no…That was the end of it all.

"We need bunkers! Why don't we have bunkers!?" Ruby whimpered.

 **"...Screw you, Ōtsutsuki." Sasuke grunted with a punch to the Faunus' arm.**

 **Kurama snickered while Jaune looked worried.**

 **"No, but seriously, who did he want to prank?" he asked again.**

 **"Who did who want to prank?"**

 **The group looked back to find Naruto back in his seat next to Yang, looking like he hadn't just run off like a madman frothing at the mouth. He even had a new paddleball in his hand and seemed to casually play with it while he tilted his head to admire Pyrrha's derriere when she bent over to help Nora back on her feet.**

Pyrrha flushed and scooted back in her seat, concealing her rear from view.

"It's not bad, but...Mine's better." Yang mumbled. She rubbed her chin. "Hm...I wonder if he's a booty boy? Might have to start working on that so I don't lose to Blake."

"...Why would you lose to me?" Blake asked, her cheeks a bit red.

"Because you got the Bellabooty."

"The _what_?!"

"You heard me. What's your secret? Is it the tuna?"

"We are _not_ talking about this!" Blake hissed.

Yang pouted. "Spoilsport."

 **"...Naruto, where did you go?" Haku asked his teammate. He got no response. "Naruto!"**

 **"Hm? Sorry, I was admiring the scenery." Naruto grinned at his partner.**

"Lecher," Weiss said with a scowl.

"He's just being a boy. You wouldn't mind if Neptune ogled your butt, would you?" Yang countered.

"That-! I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Weiss heatedly denied.

"Uh-huh, sure you don't."

 **"Sup, Haku?"**

 **"Where did you go just now?" Haku asked again.**

 **"Me? I didn't go anywhere. I was just sitting here admiring the scenery and playing with my paddleball." He looked over at Yang and adjusted the way he held the childish toy so that it made a lewd hand gesture. "You know, to prepare myself for those** ** _long_** **lonely nights."**

 **Yang snickered despite herself. Blake shoved her slightly and Yang gave her a sheepish grin. "What? It's funny."**

"It's nice to see a guy with a sense of humor." Yang smirked.

 **"It's disgusting." Blake drawled.**

 **"This coming from the girl with a copy of Ninjas of Love," Naruto said dryly. He ignored the blush that flared up on Blake's face and looked at Sasuke. "Seems Kurama and I were right, Sasuke. She is a female version of you."**

"I hate them. _All_ of them." Blake growled.

"You're just mad because they know you read porn." Yang waved her off.

"That means he was in your room!" Weiss glared.

"Oh. Hm…" Yang paused, unsure how to react to that.

 **Yang looked at her partner with a grin. "So...Ninjas of Love, huh?"**

 **"Shut up." Blake hissed. She glared at Naruto. "How do you know that?"**

 **Naruto glanced over at her with an arched brow. "Know what?"**

 **"That I have a copy of Ninjas of Love."**

 **"You** ** _do_** **? Wow, that's kinky. Hey, Sasuke, I have good news for you! You got a book buddy! You can start a book club, a** ** _kinky_** **book club!"**

"I'd like a membership card." Yang said with a raised hand.

Blake slapped the hand down, her cheeks still pink from her other falling for that so easily.

"Ow, catty, aren't you?"

"Shut up, Yang."

"Meanie...Well, look on the bright side, Weiss. He wasn't in our room...yet."

"No, Yang." Ruby and Weiss frowned at the grinning blonde.

 **Yang burst into laughter along with Kurama while Sasuke and Blake flushed bright red. Ren and Haku rubbed their faces with their hands while Juane looked confused.**

 **"What's 'Ninjas of Love'?" he asked.**

 **Naruto looked at his fellow blond with shock and his paddleball stopped. "...Tell me you're joking."**

 **Jaune shook his head.**

 **"...Dear Oum, you poor boy..." Naruto gave his new friend a smile. "Alright, where to begin. Well, it all starts with our hero named Nimato from the village of Pu-Sei.**

Weiss gave Blake a disgusted look. "Some standards you have, Blake."

"Oh shut up, Weiss!" The Faunus snapped back, her whole face as red as Ruby's cloak.

 **Nimato is on an endless journey to find his one true love."**

 **Jaune smiled. "Aw, that sounds nice. I should get a few copies for my sisters."**

"It does sound like a good idea," Jaune said lowly.

"No!" Blake exclaimed in panic.

 **"No!" Sasuke and Blake cried out quickly while Yang fell backwards into the bleachers as she laughed.**

 **"Ah, yes, I guess I should be honest if you have sisters. Don't want any visits home to end in a broken Puke Boy, now do we?" Naruto asked. He leaned forward and looked at Juane. "You see, Nimato is a master of the Fa Pin Fist style and has yet to be defeated on the battlefield against any male or female opponent."**

 **Yang, who had never read the series, stopped laughing and sat up. "I'm sorry, what?"**

 **Naruto looked at her with an arched brow. "What? Nimato experimented from time to time."**

 **Yang's eyes widened and she let a small grin cross her face. "...Go on..."**

Yang glanced at Blake.

"…You're not getting my copies."

"Psh, you're no fun." Yang pouted.

 **"What are you all talking about?" Pyrrha asked as she walked over to join the group with Nora not far behind her.**

 **Naruto looked up at her, taking a brief moment to admire her figure from** ** _this_** **angle, before he grinned. "Oh, Sasuke and Blake just suggested a book for Jaune to read."**

 **"You son of a bi-!" Kurama, who looked far too giddy as he listened to this whole conversation, covered Sasuke's mouth before he could finish that sentence.**

 **"I'll-!" Blake, likewise, was stopped and her mouth was covered by Yang, who looked at Naruto expectantly.**

Blake looked at Yang in betrayal.

"It must be done," Yang said with a serious face.

"No it doesn't! God, Yang, he's not even real!"

"I don't crush your dreams, don't crush mine!"

 **"Don't leave me hanging, Naruto, how many guys did Nimato take on?" she asked.**

 **"Yang, there's only one thing I let hang purposefully, and that's because of genetics." Naruto quipped with a grin.**

 **Yang grinned back at him. "Oh, is that a fact?"**

 **"What's the book you were discussing?" Pyrrha asked, curious and trying to not think about what the two blondes had meant while Nora pestered Ren about his pink cheeks that matched his hair.**

 **"Hm? Oh, something about duality. I dunno I wasn't really paying attention." Naruto admitted as he went back to playing with his paddleball. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out his Scroll, which he used to check the time. "Any second now..."**

 **Kurama stopped smiling and released his partner's mouth. "What did you do?"**

 **"I certainly didn't set up an elaborate prank that would take too long to explain with the materials you left so tantalizingly close to me," Naruto said with an innocent blink of his eyes.**

"That means he-"

"Yes, we know that means he did it, Yang." Weiss cut off the blonde. Yang just kept grinning.

"Why do I feel doom in the air?" Jaune wondered aloud.

"Goodwitch is going to kill them, and then us," Ruby said with a whimper.

 **"...We are** ** _so_** **expelled." Sasuke groaned.**

 **"That's only** ** _if_** **I'm caught." Naruto grinned as his team all paled. "And as far as all of you know, I was here the** ** _whole_** **time. Which I was."**

 **Yang snickered and let her arm wrap around Naruto's shoulders. "Whisker Boy, I'm starting to think that you and I are going to get along** ** _way_** **better than I originally thought."**

 **Haku and Blake shivered. Being the two blondes partners, that meant they were partially responsible for their actions and were required to keep an eye on them.**

Blake closed her eyes and let out a soft whimper.

 **Jaune opened his mouth to say something when a loud scream came from the other side of Beacon. All eyes went to Naruto, who once more resumed playing with his paddleball.**

 **"...Nora, whatever you do, do** ** _not_** **ever make Naruto angry." Ren firmly told his partner and longtime friend.**

 **Nora tilted her head. "I don't know why I would, Ren. I don't want to make anyone angry. I want us all have pancakes!"**

 **"I prefer waffles."**

"DEATH TO THE WAFFLE LOVER!" Nora proclaimed to the heavens, her eyes red as her team jumped on her to keep her down.

"Nora! Snap out of it!" Ren grunted.

"HE MUST BE SLAIN!"

 **Nora glared at Sasuke, who merely stared back with a brow arched, silently challenging her to do something about it.**

 **"Nora."**

 **"But Ren!"**

 **Ren stared at her.**

 **Nora pouted and glared at Sasuke. "I will break you."**

"Into a thousand pieces." Nora said in a low menacing voice. She was now bundled up in a cocoon of duct tape.

 **"Better people have tried."**

"They haven't met my hammer then!"

Ren flicked her nose. "Nora, settle down."

 **Naruto and Kurama took that as their cue to start whistling innocently.**

 **Haku sighed and looked up at the orange-red sky. "It's getting late and we still have classes tomorrow. I suggest we turn in for the night."**

 **"Good call, partner." Naruto grinned and hopped to his feet, still playing with his paddleball. Haku, Kurama and Sasuke weren't far behind him as he started to walk away. "See you guys tomorrow, tell Ruby and Sneeze we hope they have nice dreams!"**

"It's _Schnee_!" Weiss said indignantly, her hands balled into fists.

 **"Okay, how can you two be so comfortable with this?" Sasuke asked under his breath as Naruto and Kurama started to change into some nightclothes while Haku ducked into the bathroom for a shower.**

 **Naruto looked at his raven-haired friend as he pulled up a pair of running shorts and tossed his clothes in a bin at the other side of the room. "Comfortable with what?"**

 **"She's showering and you two are-are just getting all casually undressed!" Sasuke replied with a frown.**

"Finally, it comes to fruition." Yang rubbed her hands eagerly.

 **Naruto blinked. "She?"**

 **"Haku, you idiot!"**

 **Naruto looked at Kurama, who gave him a smirk. Naruto seemed to get the idea as he grinned back and looked at Sasuke. "** ** _She_** **hasn't complained so far."**

 **"Besides, Ozpin probably wouldn't have assigned** ** _her_** **to stay with us if** ** _she_** **wasn't all right with it," Kurama said with a smirk. "I spoke with** ** _her_** **earlier while you were in the lunch line.** ** _She_** **went to a co-ed school and shared showers with guys, so sharing a room with guys wasn't that big of a deal for** ** _her_** **."**

"…Oh that's down right evil. I love it!" Yang laughed, holding her sides. "This is too good!"

 **Naruto turned away and bit onto his knuckles to conceal his laughter while Sasuke snapped his head over to Kurama so fast, the Faunus was slightly worried his partner had broken something.**

 **"R-Really?"**

 **Kurama smirked.** ** _Hook, line and sinker. Damn, I'm good_** **. "Really."**

 **Sasuke's surprised stare turned into a soft smirk that usually made girls back home fawn over his appearance, or as Naruto would put it, cream their panties.**

"It's nice, but not that impressive." Yang shrugged, though Ruby looked a bit pink in the face. Huh, maybe there was some hope for her weapon-nut of a sister.

 **He grabbed his towel off the rack outside the bathroom and stripped himself down to his birthday suit.**

All the innocent girls, and guys, covered their eyes.

"I've seen worse." Blake shrugged.

"Meh, I've looked up better." Yang commented. She rubbed her chin. "Whiskers has nicer abs, and a sexy Don Belt. The only thing Sasuke has is a pretty decently sized and trimmed-"

"Stop narrating!" Weiss fretted, her eyes covered with her hands.

"My innocent ears!" Ruby whined, covering her face with her cloak's hood.

 **The two other males weren't all that impressed, they had seen their friend naked before in the locker room.**

 **"If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go see if I can make this team really worthwhile," Sasuke said as he slipped into the bathroom.**

 **Kurama waited until the door shut with a soft click before he hopped up from his bed and began to dig around in his dresser. "Camera, where's my camera? This is going to be amazing!"**

 **Naruto, once he'd managed to calm down, looked over at the excited Faunus and scratched his head. "I dunno, Kurama. Maybe this was a little much...I mean, Haku probably won't enjoy Sasuke's attempt to seduce him."**

"He won't, but we will." Yang smiled widely.

 **"I'll make it up to him later," Kurama said as he brushed Naruto's worries aside. Both teens looked at the bathroom door as a loud shriek came from the bathroom and was followed by a thud. They heard the shower cut off and a concerned soft voice mutter something they couldn't make out. The two waited silently until Haku burst out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and a worried look on his face.**

 **"Guys! Sasuke's fallen and hit his head on the toilet, what do we do!?"**

 **"Get out of my way, I need to get pictures of this!" Kurama rushed past the bewildered Haku while Naruto fell off of his bed and roared with laughter.**

 **Poor Haku could only wonder why they had reacted in such a manner while flashes and clicks of a camera came from the bathroom. In the end, Haku sighed and went to his dresser to dress for the night. His teammates were weird, but he wouldn't trade them for the world.**

"I would in a heartbeat." Weiss argued.

"If you had them, right?" Ruby blinked.

"That's what I meant, yes."

"I wouldn't." Yang grinned.

"We know." Ruby, Blake and Weiss drawled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do** ** _not_** **own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **V: History**

"Boo! History is boring!" Ruby protested with a small groan.

"Shush, Ruby." Weiss shoved the girl. "You still need to finish that report after we're done watching this."

"Aw..."

 **A few weeks had passed since their first day and like Naruto had promised Professor Ozpin, they hadn't been late since. Team NHKS had just left the latest sparring class where an unfortunate Jaune had been embarrassed once again by the school bully, Cardin Winchester.**

Jaune heaved a sigh, his head hanging at this. Pyrrha awkwardly patted his back.

"Cheer up, Jaune. At least he hasn't bothered you in a while." She smiled at him.

"Yeah...but the memories stink."

 **In an effort to cheer Jaune up, Kurama asked to slip away and retrieve something from their room and promised to meet up with the group in the lunchroom.**

 **What he returned with certainly brought joy, but not to Jaune. In fact, the present confused Jaune more than it did lift his spirits. There was only one person who did not enjoy the 'gift' and that was Uchiha Sasuke.**

 **"All. Of. My. Hate." Sasuke glared daggers at his partner all throughout the lunch period. Why?**

 **The 'gift' was a developed photo of the night he realized Haku was a boy.**

 **And to make matters worse...**

 **"Don't worry, Sasuke, I made a copy** ** _just_** **for you," Kurama said as he offered the photo to his partner with a grin plastered on his face.**

"This is both funny and tasteless all at once." Weiss furrowed her brow.

"Speak for yourself." Nora snickered.

 **"You know, Whisker Boy, I bet a bunch of girls will pay well for a few of these." Yang looked up from her photo and grinned at her fellow blond as he ate his tenth bowl of Ramen. Her comment didn't make Naruto pause, but he did hurry and finish the bowl with a satisfied sigh.**

 **Naruto looked at Yang with an arched brow. "How much lien do you think its worth?"**

 **"Hm, concerning the posture and the amount of skin shown..." Yang pursed her lips and closed her eyes before she grinned at the blond seated across from her. "Twenty at least."**

"Yang, no selling dirty pictures." Ruby warned.

"Please, I don't want cash that bad." Yang rolled her eyes.

 **You could see the lien sign appear in Naruto's eyes.**

 **"Oh, wonderful, now he has a get rich quick scheme," Sasuke said dryly. He glowered at Blake. "Your blonde is a bad influence on ours."**

"I am not!" Yang huffed, crossing her arms. "My influence is wonderful!"

"Debatable."

"Don't you get catty with me, Blake."

"...Ugh..." Blake groaned and rubbed her temples.

 **"Says the one that tried to grope his own teammate," Blake said just as dryly.**

"And Bellabooty with the sick return!" Nora cheered.

"Nora!" Ren chided his friend while Blake turned bright red.

"Whoops, sorry, it slipped out."

"Unlike the real thing," Yang said with a smirk. "The Bellabooty too big to get out of dem pants."

Blake punched Yang hard in the arm.

 **She smirked when Sasuke groaned into his hand.**

 **"So, can I get an estimate of all of our nudes?" The blunt question from Naruto made Ruby, Haku, Pyrrha, Blake and Weiss turn the same shade as Ruby's hood. Jaune was too out of it to really care, Ren and Nora were arguing about a dream Nora had, and both Sasuke and Kurama were far too used to Naruto's blunt personality to be thrown off guard by such a simple question.**

 **Yang tapped her chin. "Well, for Haku, since he's such a popular trap, I'm guessing you could get thirty from some unaware guys and forty from some girls."**

Ruby turned to her sister. "How do you know this?"

"I know many things, my young student." Yang smiled secretly

"I'm not your student!"

"Shush little person."

 **"Expensive, aren't you?" Kurama asked the feminine teen with a grin on his face.**

 **Haku sighed and turned to Ren. "Are you sure you don't wish to switch teams?"**

 **"No, I need to keep an eye on Nora." Ren gave his friend a light smirk. He absentmindedly slapped Nora's hands before she could grab the bottle of syrup that was set beside him.**

 **Yang pointed at Kurama next. "You'd probably bring in the least amount of currency, no offense. Maybe ten, fifteen lien if you're lucky."**

 **Kurama shrugged and popped a fry in his mouth. "You're all hideous apes to me. None taken."**

Blake held a differing opinion, but refused to voice it. The others would take it the wrong way.

 **"And me?" Naruto asked with a small grin.**

 **Yang leaned forward and grinned back at him. "I don't know, I'd need some fine details before I can give a proper estimate."**

"I swear I have to hit you with a newspaper someday." Blake told her partner.

"...My safe word is teacup."

"Yang!" Ruby and Weiss glared at the now snickering girl while Blake failed to move her gaping mouth.

 **Naruto let his eyes become half-lidded as his grin became a bit more lewd. "I'm sure I can get my roommates to sleep somewhere else for a night."**

"No," Ruby protested sternly as she possibly could.

"Aw, party pooper." Yang pouted.

 **Yang's grin matched Naruto's own as she made similar eyes back at him. "Why would they have to move?** ** _We_** **have a spare bathroom."**

"No!" Weiss threw a glare at the grinning blonde.

 **"Okay, Yang, enough!" Ruby put her proverbial foot down before she passed out from all the blood rushing to her head. She looked between the two blondes and huffed. "If you two are going to flirt, that's fine, but come on, there are other people around us!"**

 **"So?" Naruto and Yang asked with wide grins. "The more the merrier!"**

"Orgy!"

"Yang!" The rest of team RWBY and Pyrrha shouted.

"…You guys have no sense of humor." The blonde grumbled with a frown.

 **Ruby palmed her face and Weiss gave her partner a pat on the back. "You walked right into that one, Ruby."**

 **"I know..." Ruby whimpered.**

 **"Well...er, Yang and Naruto's jokes aside, we need to do something," Pyrrha said once she had let the blush on her face cool off.**

 **"About what?" Jaune asked as he ate a chicken nugget.**

 **Pyrrha looked at him. "You. And your problem with Cardin."**

"I can only wonder how different it's going to be this time." Jaune sighed.

 **The teams looked over at a table where Cardin and his crew had gathered around a Faunus girl that had long brown hair and rabbit ears coming out of her head.**

 **Kurama growled and crushed the fry that was in his hand into mush. His aura flared and the mush was eradicated on the spot. Haku placed a hand on his shoulder while he sent Team CRDL a disapproving stare and then looked around in slight disgust.**

 **"What? I-I don't have a problem with Cardin!" Jaune scoffed and played with his food. "He's just, you know, playing around."**

"Lies! Blatant, horrible lies." Jaune scolded his other.

 **"He's being a bully." Ruby corrected her fellow team leader. She clenched her fists as she listened to the boy in question release a loud laugh.**

 **"Name one time he bullied me," Jaune said with a weak grin.**

Jaune covered his eyes and groaned.

"Well..." Nora looked ready to count on her fingers, but Ren stopped her.

 **Blake lifted her hand up as she began to list such occasions. "There were the times he knocked books, food or your scroll out of your hands. The times he forced your sheath to expand into a shield and get you caught in doorways."**

 **"And let's not forget the rocket locker." Sasuke added.**

"At least I didn't land _too_ far from the school," Jaune said under his breath.

 **"So? It was just a prank. Like Naruto does-" Jaune was cut off as Naruto's smile fell. A heavy feeling of death overcame the table as Naruto glared at Jaune, who trembled under his friend's gaze.**

 **"My pranks are** ** _not_** **intentionally cruel nor do they aim to injure anyone." Naruto cut in firmly as he glared at his fellow blond for** ** _daring_** **to compare Cardin's bullying antics to his masterpieces of vengeance.**

"They are very different." Yang nodded in agreement. Weiss glared at her.

"He covered my mouth with duck tape!"

"Which was funny, not cruel," the blonde said with a smirk.

"It was cruel to me!"

"Your nose was still clear. See? No harm meant."

 **"Ah, p-please l-let go, Cardin! It hurts!" The teams turned to see Cardin tugging on the rabbit ears of the Faunus and Haku slapped his hand on the table.**

 **"That does it. I can't just sit by and let this happen anymore." Haku scowled and made to rise, but was stopped by Naruto's hand. "What are you doing?"**

 **"Stopping you from making a mistake." Naruto nodded towards the lunch monitor, who watched the interaction between CRDL and the Faunus but made no move to break it up.**

"Ah, Beacon, home of bias just like everywhere else." Blake scathingly mumbled.

 **"Cardin's bullying, but not in the terms that obligate any severe punishment from authority, and with the bias towards Faunus, it's an even wider gap that he and others like him can slip through. If you go over there and start a fight,** ** _you'll_** **be the one reprimanded."**

 **"That doesn't make sense, it's keeping us from doing what's right," Ruby said with a frown.**

"A little naïve sis." Yang shook her head.

"Yeah, but its true." Ruby mumbled.

 **"We all know that, Ruby, yet we all choose to do nothing as well for the same reason. Anyone could very well walk out and find a more tolerate teacher, but doing so could risk getting put up against the Winchester name, and that is a losing battle," Blake said.**

 **Nora slammed her hand into her palm as she gained an idea. "We can break his legs!"**

Nora crossed her arms, a pensive look on her face. "I still say we take a bat and do it."

"Only if he decides to act up," Pyrrha said to her teammate.

 **"I wish," Kurama said with a scowl as he flicked his claws out and then forced them to recede in an effort to gain control of his anger. "But like the others said, we'd just get in trouble for it." He looked at Weiss with a pointed frown. "And** ** _you_** **just don't care."**

"I do so!" Weiss looked outraged.

 **Weiss frowned at him. "I'm not fond of some Faunus, true, but I** ** _do_** **happen to think what Cardin is doing is unnecessary and cruel."**

 **"Maybe there's hope for you yet, Schnee." Kurama mused half-heartedly. He ignored the glare she sent his way.**

"Oh, I'm so glad I have his approval." The heiress rolled her eyes. Like she cared.

"They need counseling before they even get together," Yang said softly to her partner. Blake snickered in return.

 **"I cannot stand scum like that," Pyrrha said with a scowl as her fists tightened when Russell exclaimed his disbelief at the real ears on the girl's head. "Those who abuse their power to wrong others. It's disgusting!"**

 **"Used to happen all the time back at Kon," Sasuke said solemnly with a frown on his face. "I was part of it."**

 **"Hey, you learned to better yourself." Kurama reassured his partner with a hand on the shoulder. He turned and glared as CRDL burst into more laughter when they knocked the Faunus' lunch out of her hands and kept her trapped between them. "But something tells me that they never will."**

 **"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Haku hissed.**

 **Naruto grinned as he stood up, a gleam in his eyes. "Who said we were going to? Boys, let's go stop a bully."**

"Oh, this is going to be good." The blonde bombshell looked on with a predator smile.

Blake and Jaune seemed highly pleased as well.

 **The four boys left the table consisting of Teams RWBY and JNPR while the two teams watched them in interest. Naruto, Haku, Sasuke and Kurama walked up to Team CRDL and the rabbit-eared Faunus girl, careful to not attract attention to themselves as they did. Kurama and Sasuke seemed to know what Naruto had in mind, but Haku, with no clue what the plan was, decided to stand beside his team be silently intimidating as he was taught to.**

 **"Hey guys, how's it going?" Naruto asked with a cheerful smile and wave as he stopped next to CRDL's leader.**

 **Cardin looked up at the newcomer and glared at the fox Faunus that grinned maliciously at him. He smirked and looked back at his team while he pushed the Faunus girl into Sky, who kept her in place with a grip on her shoulders. "Oh look boys, we have a few guys walking their** ** _pet_** **."**

"Fate. Sealed." Blake smirked viciously.

 **Russell, Dove and Sky started to laugh along with their leader at their joke but stopped and stared in shock as Naruto got in Cardin's face with a hostile look in his eyes.**

 **"What?! Wanna say that again? You wanna repeat that, you fuckin' prick?** ** _Huh_** **? You wanna fucking start something?" Naruto shoved Cardin back into the table and held his arms out while his team backed him up. Cardin's eyes were wide and bewildered as were those of his teammates, possibly due to the fact no one had stood up to them like this before. "Come on, four-on-four, Red versus Blue, no camp kills! We'll fuck you up!"**

"Is it wrong that I take pleasure in this?" Jaune asked aloud.

"No." Everyone told him, all equally amused.

"Oh, good."

 **"J-Just calm down, Uzumaki." Dove tried to placate the irate student as eyes from around the room started to lock onto them.**

 **"Shut the fuck up, Dove!" Naruto glared pointedly at the teen before he returned his attention to Team CRDL as a whole while he gestured to his team. "We're all pumped, we're ready to fucking go! Let's do this!"**

"Break their legs!" Nora cheered.

 **Kurama snarled eagerly as his tail swished from one side to the other. To Team CRDL, it looked like something bright red flashed behind his wraparound sunglasses.**

 **"That's right, prison rules! Sasuke hasn't eaten in days!" Naruto continued his crazed intimidation tactics that had drawn attention from all of the students within the lunchroom. He was so into the act that he hadn't realized all conversation had stopped and that a few teachers were even staring in shock at the spectacle.**

"Wow, even the staff is dumbfounded." Weiss blinked, still wide eyed at the current display.

 **"I want the one in the** ** _middle_** **." Sasuke intoned lowly as he stared at Sky intently.**

 **"Me, too." Naruto agreed as his smile widened.**

Ruby let out a whimper, that…that was scary.

"...They say the crazy ones are the best..." Yang mused under her breath. Blake scooted away from her slightly.

 **Team CRDL looked over their fellow first year team. The Faunus' grin had widened and his sharp teeth were in plain view. Sasuke continued to stare at Sky and even let his tongue wet his lips like one would when they were hungry just as Sky's eyes met his gaze. Haku just stared intently at them with wide eyes that sucked you in and slowly drove you mad. And finally, Naruto had the crazy gleam still present in his eyes and his smile had the same appearance, throw in the feral appearance his whiskers added and the scary factor was through the roof.**

"…I would not like to mess with them." Jaune shuddered at the frightful image.

"Oh, c'mon Jaune, it'd be fun!" Nora protested. "Think of the carnage! The glory of battle and the bruises of the aftermath!"

"...We are _not_ messing with them, Nora." Jaune frowned.

"But-!"

"No!"

Nora hung her head in disappointment.

 **"...Nope!" Russell yelled before he jumped out of the nearest window and ran away.**

 **Dove and Sky weren't that far behind him.**

 **Cardin scrambled back, toppling over the table he'd be relaxing on in an effort to get away from the crazy students. As he ran away, Kurama purposefully made the sound of a whimpering dog loud enough for the whole lunchroom of students present to hear, which resulted in a roar of laughter. It certainly added humiliation to the defeat.**

"It does, and I am satisfied." Blake smiled warmly.

"That was scary, but so awesome." Jaune added with his own smile.

 **"Yeah that's right, you better fucking run away! You damn bastards! Huh?** ** _Huh_** **!?" Naruto jeered over the laughter before he grinned and rubbed the underside of his nose with his thumb. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it, Haku?"**

 **"It was rather satisfying to be apart of that solution instead of the problem," Haku said with a smile. He turned and smiled further when he noticed the monitor quickly walking away, as though afraid Team NHKS would try to do something. "Humph, typical. Doesn't even bother to thank us for doing his job."**

"Society as a whole." Blake bit out.

"Blake, rein it in." Yang rolled her eyes.

 **"Get used to it." Kurama scoffed as he followed Haku's gaze and shook his head before he approached the Faunus that Cardin and his cronies had been bothering. With a gentle smile on his face, Kurama offered his fellow Faunus a hand to help her up. "Are you all right?"**

 **The girl averted her eyes as a small flush crossed her face as she took the offered grip and got back to her feet. "Y-Yes. Th-Thank you."**

"…They are so cute!" Ruby gushed, stars in her eyes.

"The fox and the hare, really?" Blake raised a brow, but had a smile on her face nonetheless.

"What would you know about love, Miss Smut?" Weiss arched a brow at the Faunus. Blake scowled, displeased by the bashing on her favorite book series.

 **"It's no problem." Kurama smiled at her and she smiled back.**

 **"So, Kurama, who's your girlfriend?" Sasuke asked with a smirk on his face. The girl flushed dark red and began to stutter incoherently while Kurama scowled in his partner's direction.**

 **Kurama lifted a photo up and arched a brow above the ridge of his glasses. "Try me, Uchiha. I can make sure this thing gets spread** ** _all_** **throughout Beacon before we go to history."**

 **"Yeah, come on man, how can you tease someone so cute?" Naruto added with a grin as he hung off Sasuke's shoulders. The Faunus girl flushed a darker red at his question and began to fiddle with her fingers.**

 **Sasuke scowled for a moment before he sighed. "I suppose you're right. She is rather cute, isn't she?"**

Yang creased her brow and her lips fell into a small pout. "Man, Velvet is so lucky. She gets all the hot guys' attention."

"Well, she's cute." Ruby told her sister.

"I know. I guess the boys like the bunny ears." The blonde mumbled.

"We could buy you some fox ears." Blake told her partner.

"Oooh, nice one!" Yang grinned happily and held a thumbs up.

 **"Of course she is! Otherwise Kurama wouldn't be acting so nice right now."**

 **"Hey! Watch it, Uzumaki, before I show you how** ** _nice_** **I can be!" Kurama warned with a growl as his two friends grinned at him.**

 **Haku shook his head as the three spiraled into an argument and smiled at the girl. "Can you tell me your name, miss?"**

 **"Um, V-Velvet Scarlatina," the girl, Velvet, said softly. "Why do you want to know?"**

 **Haku gave his signature gentle smile as he offered his hand. "So that I may know the name of my new friend."**

 **"** ** _Our_** **new friend." Naruto corrected with a grin on his face and his hands interlocked behind his head. Velvet seemed shocked by this while Naruto chuckled. "After all, someone this cute needs to be shared!"**

"…So damn lucky!" Yang groaned.

 **"...Wow, that sounded creepy, Naruto." Kurama drawled with his arms crossed over his chest.**

 **Naruto hung his head. "Realized it as soon as I said it."**

"Not that creepy." Yang mumbled.

"It was creepy, like a 'One of us' moment." Nora pointed out. Ruby shivered, she hated that movie.

 **"Well, Naruto's unintentional creepy comment aside, we do want to be your friend," Kurama said. He waved at her with his tail and smiled lightly when she giggled. "After all, we Faunus gotta stick together when we're surrounded by these hairless apes."**

 **"Ah, but you love us, Kurama." Haku smiled at his friend.**

 **Kurama looked away slightly. "Don't make it weird, Haku."**

 **Velvet just giggled a bit more as she spoke with Team NHKS, happy that she'd made a few more friends.**

 **"The more I see it, the less I believe it," Naruto said to Sasuke as they watched their history professor zip from one place to another with a small cup of coffee in hand.**

 **"I'm starting to wonder what would happen if you pranked him through his coffee," Sasuke said. Prof. Bartholomew Oobleck was never seen without a cup of some sort of caffeinated drink in hand, and many wondered if it had replaced his blood.**

"He has, I swear." Ruby told everyone.

"That theory is a little wonky, Rubes." Yang shook her head.

 **Naruto nodded. "I considered it, but I think he's an addict. The withdrawal could be agonizing for him. Like that one day we ran out of Ramen in Kon."**

 **Sasuke shuddered. There was a reason neither Sasuke nor Kurama tried to curb or mess with Naruto's addiction. He could still hear the sirens to this day.**

 **"Shush." Pyrrha chastised the two as they listened to their green haired professor.**

 **"Therefore the Faunus Rights Revolution, or more popularly known as the Faunus War, was believed by many to be ignited by humanity's attempts to-to contain the Faunus on Menagerie. And while this may seem like ancient history to many of you, it still has its mark on recent events." Professor Oobleck rapidly explained. He zipped – not ran or walked because his legs never seemed to move – to stand in front of the class with his left hand folded behind his back. "Repercussions can still be seen to this day." He paused and zipped to the side of the room in order to sip from his small cup politely before he returned to the front of the class. "Now! Have any of you been subjugated to discrimination because of your Faunus heritage?"**

"Raise them high." Blake urged softly, they could do it.

 **A few in the class hesitated before Kurama, seated at the front next to the nearly trembling form of Velvet, raised his hand casually. Sasuke grimaced and Naruto gave him a small nudge. Kurama had already forgiven the Uchiha for his past actions, and it was time that Sasuke did so as well. Naruto looked back down as Velvet's hand and a few others around the room slowly or meekly followed their friend's example.**

"…So nice to see." Blake grumbled.

Yang just patted her shoulder awkwardly.

 **"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" The manner that Oobleck spoke sounded insensitive to those that weren't familiar with the man's eccentrics. It made Naruto smile lightly to see more and more people agree with the professor. He let out an annoyed grunt when Cardin, who was seated behind a sleeping Jaune with his legs on the desk, snorted in amusement. There was a crackle beside him and Naruto had to grab Sasuke's left arm in order to remind his friend that they were in class. Sasuke's hand let the static wear off, but the look in his eyes did not fade away.**

"I say zap the hooligan." Weiss frowned.

 **"Remember class, it is exactly this kind of ignorance that breeds violence," Oobleck said before he once more took a sip from his cup. Oobleck started to gesture with his pointer. "I mean-I mean-I mean, just look at the White Fang for instance! Can anyone tell me what they know about the organization's history?"**

 **To the surprise of those outside of Kurama and Sasuke, Naruto lifted his hand up.**

 **"Ah, yes, Mr. Uzumaki!" Oobleck nodded as the boy stood to speak.**

 **"The White Fang was formed after the Faunus Rights Revolution to promote unity between Faunus and Humanity. Despite most discriminations still holding firm in place, many of their peaceful public displays or marches were very effective." Naruto frowned as he continued. "However, around the time that the Fourth War, the Anti-Faunus Terrorist Organization, came to be, more and more humans pinned the blame on the attacks of the Fourth War on the Faunus.**

"Wait, there's an organization like that too?" Ruby asked with a blink.

"Not that I know of." Blake frowned. That would certainly make it more difficult for the White Fang to turn back to their peaceful ways.

 **Consequential riots and the rumors of the Schnee company slavery incidents were enough to turn the White Fang into a bastardization of what it once was."**

"Slanderous lies!" Weiss argued sternly, her knuckles turning white.

 **Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha were shocked at the passion that came from Naruto's mouth as he expressed disappointment with the turn of the White Fang. Professor Oobleck, however, nodded his head.**

 **"Precisely, precisely! 'Violence begets violence, an unfortunate truth for our world, and without true understanding, there can be no peace,' as Ri Kudo Sage, the infamous visionary during The War, said. Thank you, Mr. Uzumaki, you may be seated."**

 **Naruto sat down and gave a cheesy grin as well as a victory sign to the surprised people that stared at him.**

 **Sasuke smirked and shook his head in amusement. Naruto may not understand technical use of theories or mathematics in the real world, but politics, tactics and history was something he had a knack for.**

"That makes no sense." Weiss murmured, he seemed far too much a knucklehead.

 **If he wasn't so determined to be a Huntsman, Sasuke was sure that his team's leader could run for placement on one of the four Kingdoms' councils. Ah, Hell, he was going to suggest that the blond do so later in life anyway.**

"I sense a Day of Orange in the future." Yang grinned.

"Blech, never." Weiss scrunched her nose up in disapproval.

 **"But back to the matter at hand, which of you young scholars can tell me what battle is believed by theorists to be the turning point of the Faunus Rights Revolution and when it occurred during the war?" Oobleck asked. He looked over the class and nodded. "Ms. Schnee?"**

 **"The Battle at Fort Castle, which took place in the third year," Weiss said with a confidant smile.**

 **"Very good, very good!" Oobleck nodded from where he stood behind his desk. "And! Who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagoon's forces?"**

 **Sasuke looked to the left as Cardin snickered and prepared a paper football to flick at the back of Jaune's head. His eyes narrowed and he waited for the right moment to send a small bolt of static at the paper in an effort to both crumple it and knock it off path. Cardin frowned and let out an annoyed grunt, which drew Oobleck's attention.**

 **"Yes, Mr. Winchester?"**

"Yeah, answer Cardin." Jaune prodded.

 **Cardin looked up and crossed his arms as a smile crossed his face. "I don't know about you, but I personally think it's because animals are easier to train than soldiers."**

 **"Coming from the epitome of dumb apes, I'm not surprised you think that way. I wonder how long it took for your mommy to potty train you." Kurama quipped with a smirk on his face while the class let out snickers.**

"I want a recording of that." Jaune mumbled. That was a good one.

"I got this whole thing being recorded." Yang grinned.

 **"Mr. Ōtsutsuki, please wait to be called on before you speak out of turn or I'll be forced to offer you detention. Mr. Winchester, your answer is not only incorrect but highly offensive and very ignorant. For this, I will ask for a three-paged essay on the contents of the Faunus Rights Act, with explicit details on each right granted to Faunus in the Four Kingdoms due on my desk next week," Professor Oobleck said as he chastised both students fairly in terms of their offense.**

 **Cardin scowled heavily while Kurama gave a nod to the professor.**

"And this, while crazy at times, is why I like Oobleck." Blake smiled a little.

 **"Now, can anyone tell me the correct answer to the question?" Professor Oobleck asked before he took another sip of his coffee. He nodded as Pyrrha's hand rose. "Yes, Ms. Nikos?"**

 **"It's because most Faunus have exceptional night vision. General Lagoon tried to ambush the Faunus in the night and was consequently outmaneuvered and captured for his mistake." Pyrrha explained. She sent a look at Cardin for a moment before she looked back at the front. "If he had actually taken time to think of a better strategy than the easiest one that came to mind, perhaps he could've emerged victorious."**

 **"Or perhaps if he paid attention in class, like a certain few who shan't be named, he wouldn't have been turned into the butt of every Faunus' joke," Blake said dryly. The students snickered once again as the obvious jab to a certain mace user.**

 **"You want to start something, Belladonna?" Cardin asked as he started to rise.**

"Please, I'd cut him down before he could swing his mace." Blake scoffed.

 **"Mr. Winchester, get back in your seat before I make that essay** ** _ten_** **pages long and due** ** _tomorrow_** **, and Ms. Belladonna, I will give you the same warning that I gave Mr. Ōtsutsuki, wait to be called on before you speak or I** ** _will_** **give you a detention for disrupting my class," Oobleck said with a frown. He zipped to the front of the of the class and slapped his pointer stick next to Jaune, who snapped awake with a startled cry. "Mr. Arc, since you've decided to finally rejoin us in the world of the living and conscious, I would like to know what** ** _you_** **think about the Faunus War?"**

 **"Um...It was a boon to the Faunus and I'm glad it happened?" Jaune weakly answered.**

 **"Oh, and why is that?" Oobleck asked with an arched brow.**

 **"W-Well, if the Faunus never stood up for their rights then they would've been trapped on Mallory-"**

 **"Menagerie."**

 **"Right, that. And I never would've met some of my friends. Heck, I probably wouldn't even have the thought of calling them my friends." Jaune's answer drew smiles on his friends' faces while Professor Oobleck withdrew his pointer stick and nodded.**

"Jaune, never change." Blake implored. His simple nature was refreshing.

"Uh, okay?"

 **"A good answer, Mr. Arc, but I will still require you and Mr. Winchester to stay after class for a moment." The disheveled professor took a sip of his coffee and zipped to his desk just before the bell rang. "You're all dismissed, save for you two."**

 **Jaune groaned and let his head fall to the desk while Cardin scoffed and cross his arms.**

 **"...then I thought about using some rope to–"**

 **"Wait up, Uzumaki!"**

 **Naruto, Sasuke, Kurama and Velvet were walking down the hall towards Haku's history classroom. The feminine boy had placed above average in the class and had been moved a grade forward, which was more or less a boon for his team. Haku's kind attitude made it all but impossible for the boy to say no to helping his friends study for one of their, in his words, easier tests.**

"I want a Haku," Yang pouted. "Hell, I want a whole group package. Maybe duplicates of the blond one."

"They're fictional people, Yang." Blake sighed.

"Thank god for that," Weiss said. She shivered. "If those ruffians actually existed..."

"Life would be way more fun." Yang mumbled.

 **The three members of NHKS and Velvet stopped and turned back around to see Weiss and Blake running after them.**

 **"Hey Sneeze! Bell! Just on our way to meet up with Haku, what's up?" Naruto grinned at the girls while Sasuke stared indifferently and Kurama let out a small growl of annoyance.**

 **Weiss scowled at the blond and crossed her arms over her chest. "For the last time, it's** ** _Schnee_** **, Uzumaki."**

 **"And I told you to call me Naruto,** ** _Sneeze_** **." Naruto returned with a grin while Kurama smirked and Velvet let out a soft giggle.**

 **Weiss growled, but quickly shook her head. "Whatever, I'll deal with that later. What was all of that back in the classroom?"**

"Oh come on!" Yang tossed her arms in the air. "Just because he's blond, doesn't mean he isn't smart."

"Stop pulling that line," Weiss rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"Stop stereotyping."

 **"Uh, that was history with Professor Oobleck," Naruto said as he gained a worried look as he placed a hand on her head. "Are you alright? I mean, didn't you answer one of his questions?"**

 **"Very funny." Weiss drawled through gritted teeth while she batted his hand away.**

"He gets under your skin so easily," Ruby whistled. "I thought only I could do that."

"I know." Weiss gritted out.

 **She glared at the snickering Kurama. "And what's so funny, Ōtsutsuki?"**

 **"Your face." Kurama chuckled as Weiss looked to be seconds from a meltdown. Velvet frowned at her new friend.**

 **"T-That wasn't very nice, Kurama," Velvet said softly.**

 **Kurama crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head to face the timid girl. "Vel, trust me. This is a** ** _Schnee_** **. She's used to this sort of thing."**

"…That is beside the point!" Weiss argued sternly with a good finger wagging.

 **"What we mean to ask is, how did you know so much about the White Fang, Naruto?" Blake quickly spoke up before her teammate tried to fight the fox Faunus...again.**

 **Naruto's smile fell into a frown. "It's hard not to know about the White Fang when you come from a village that used to welcome them."**

 **"Used to?" Blake and Weiss asked.**

 **Sasuke nodded. "We – Naruto, Kurama and I – are from the City of Kon in Vacuo, it's a pretty popular town on the edge of the dessert and the mountain regions. It's also where a majority of the old White Fang organization had started, so a lot of Faunus used to live there with Humans."**

 **"The Faunus were treated well...until an attack that happened almost eighteen years ago," Naruto said softly. He had his eyes down as he started to fiddle with the rings on his necklace. "After that, many in Kon blamed the Faunus for the attack and a few were chased out of town."**

"That's…so sad." Ruby summed up the thoughts in the room.

 **"My family lived on neutral ground and my father ran a shop that provided a lot of Dust to the area." Kurama added. He had his arms crossed and his hands clenched into fists. "We barely managed to survive thanks to the few humans that remembered their bonds with him."**

 **Sasuke put his hand on Kurama's shoulder and looked at the two stunned girls. "But that's the past, and we've come to terms with it."**

 **Naruto let his necklace drop from his hands and a smile spread across his face. "Yeah, gotta keep moving forward!"**

 **"Besides," Kurama said as he relaxed and a small smirk crossed his face. "We all made a promise before we arrived at Beacon. Once we became Huntsman we would find the Fourth War and bring them down."**

"They are such bros." Jaune said, and turned to Ren, "Why can't we be like that?"

"Because you make it weird." Ren sighed.

"Oh, I hugged you too low one time!"

"There is a bro-code that _must_ be followed."

 **Naruto nodded in agreement while Sasuke gained a small smirk at Kurama's words.**

 **"...That's all we needed to know," Blake said before she grabbed Weiss' arm and dragged her along. "Come on, let's go find Ruby and Yang before they do something stupid."**

 **"Wait – Will you unhand me?! Blake!" Weiss argued and struggled as she was pulled away.**

 **Naruto watched them disappear around a corner and scratched the back of his head. "Think we laid it on a little thick?"**

 **"We were just being honest – Velvet, are you crying?" Kurama asked as he looked at the rabbit-eared Faunus. Her eyes were red and brimmed with tears while her bottom lip trembled. Suddenly, she pulled Kurama into a tight hug that caught the fox Faunus off guard.**

 **"Whoa! Hey, Velvet! D-Don't cry!" Kurama paled as the girl sobbed into his shoulder. He turned to his friends. "Guys? Help!"**

"Nah, this is too funny." Yang giggled at the sight.

"It was moving." Blake smiled a little.

 **Sasuke crossed his arms and shook his head. "Shame on you, Kurama. Making such a cute girl cry."**

 **Naruto copied the raven-haired boy's actions. "For shame."**

 **"Screw you guys! Velvet, come on, it's okay!" Kurama tried to console her weakly. He'd never had to do this before. Girls were not his forte, even if he did flirt around occasionally.**

 **"Shame, Kurama Ōtsutsuki, for shame." Naruto and Sasuke repeated as they walked down the hall.**

 **"O-Oi! Don't leave me here! You bastards!"**

"Such good friends." Jaune mumbled. All of the girls gave him odd looks before sharing similar ones with each other and shrugging.

Male bonding was weird.

 **"What happened to your shirt?" Haku asked as a slightly drenched Kurama and a red-eyed Velvet joined him, Sasuke and Naruto. With them were three other second year students. Only one was girl with a beret atop her shoulder length brown hair and her eyes hidden by sunglasses, dressed in Beacon's standard academy uniform like Velvet. Slightly behind her were two boys, one with dark skin, white eyes and messy copper hair and the other was, too be blunt, a** ** _giant_** **with short dark hair and a friendly face. Both boys wore the traditional uniform that Team NHKS rebelled against, save for Haku.**

 **Velvet flushed bright red and Kurama glared at the amused Naruto and Sasuke.**

 **"I hate you both. So much." He growled as his tail flicked angrily.**

 **"Well, well, well, Velvet...I never thought you'd be so interested in younger boys," the girl said with a smirk as she walked over towards the Faunus. She gave Kurama a once over before she pulled Velvet into a hug. "I'm so proud of you, he's succulent!"**

"Oh yeah, Coco is always forward like that." Yang smiled a bit.

"That and she has great fashion sense." Weiss smiled giddily.

"You still want to go shopping with her, don't you?" Blake asked.

"She knows all the best stores and gets great deals!"

 **"N-No, C-Coco, it's not like that!" Velvet protested as her face darkened even further.**

 **"I'm** ** _sure_** **it's not." Coco nodded with a smirk on her face as she lowered her sunglasses and leered at the other members of Team NHKS with a saucy grin on her face. "I'm glad you were only with** ** _one_** **of these gold metals, because if you were keeping all** ** _four_** **to yourself, I would be** ** _so_** **mad at you. Fox can only handle so much, after all."**

"Poor Fox." Jaune sighed for his senior. He had a wily partner.

 **The copper haired teen let out a soft sigh while the giant chuckled. Coco looked over at Naruto and gave him a smile.**

 **"Like I was saying, I'm Coco Adel." She pointed at the giant. "That handsome beefcake is Yatsuhashi Daichi." Her finger landed on the copper haired teen. "That fine piece of ass is Fox Alistair and you already know our lovely little rabbit, Velvet." She grinned and tightened her hug around the flushed Faunus. "Together we're Team CFVY (Coffee), second year badass Hunters of Beacon."**

"That's an understatement." Ruby blurted out, after seeing what they did during the Breach? What else would you call them?

 **"Nice to meet you, Coco." Naruto grinned as Kurama slipped over to Sasuke's other side and Haku stepped beside the blond leader. "You already know my partner Haku Yuki. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Velvet's boyfriend is Kurama Ōtsutsuki" "Hey!" "and his partner Uchiha Sasuke. We're Team NHKS."**

 **"An all boy group filled with one of each kind," Coco said with a smile and a giddy sigh. She pointed at Sasuke. "The sexy dark one." Her finger drifted to Kurama. "Velvet's peace of man-meat is the handsome mysterious and wild one." Coco ignored Velvet's squeak as she pointed at Haku. "Our princely quiet one is my studious classmate." Coco's gaze landed on the younger leader and she approached him with a smirk on her face. "And finally, the roguishly cute leader."**

"I'd go for handsome more." Yang disagreed wit a frown.

"Why do I feel that this is sexual harassment?" Weiss mused.

"Just because a girl is doing it, doesn't make it less right." Blake agreed.

"I think you two are just annoyed she's pointing out their good characteristics to you."

"Shut up Yang." Weiss and Blake said together.

"That's not a denial..."

 **Naruto's smile fell into a pout. "Oi! I'm not cute!"**

 **Coco laughed and pinched his cheek as she cooed at him. "Yes you are! Such a** ** _cute_** **little Huntsman in training."**

 **Kurama smirked.** ** _Ah, karma. How I love you._**

 **Naruto batted away the older girl's hand and scowled as he rubbed his sore whiskered cheek. Coco pinched** ** _hard_** **. "Geez, if this is what Ruby feels like when Yang teases her, maybe I should cut her some slack."**

"I would like my slack cut." Ruby nodded happily.

 **"By Oum, I didn't think it was possible. Someone can** ** _curb_** **him." Sasuke mumbled in shock.**

 **Haku shook his head. He'd known Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi only in passing during class, but when Coco had said something afterwards about a few boys that had stood up for their Faunus teammate, he spoke to her afterwards and introduced himself, asking if their friend was Velvet. From there on, Coco had poised herself as a playful teenage girl, not unlike Yang, but more mature and sure of herself. He figured that the introduction between Coco and Naruto would be healthy for his laidback and childish partner.**

 **Haku wasn't expecting her to all but adopt Naruto as her 'cute little brother.' That didn't mean Haku wasn't welcoming it. He was chuckling alongside Sasuke and Kurama as their leader, who was brimming with confidence and always flirty with the opposite sex, suddenly became a slightly unnerved boy and struggled to get away from the older girl.**

"This is hilarious." Yang grinned. "Please, let this be held over his head."

"You're terrible." Ruby told her.

"Nonsense, I'd do it to you."

"Like I said, terrible."

 **"Oh, but you're everything I ever wanted in a little brother." Coco pleaded as she rubbed her cheek against Naruto's. "Cute, sassy and a troublemaker!" She tightened her hug and looked at her teammates. "Fox? Yatsuhashi? Can we keep him?"**

 **"Oi! Let me go!"**

 **Fox shook his head with a smirk on his face while Yatsuhashi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.**

 **"Well..." the gentle voice of the giant teen left his throat with a small rumble. "As long as you promise to take care of him."**

 **Coco smiled happily and tightened her impressive grip on Naruto, causing his face to go blue. "I promise!"**

"…He would look nice in a collar."

"Yang!" her teammates cried out, their faces red. Pyrrha looked away with pink cheeks.

Nora slammed a fist into a palm. "Yes! And he could sniff out the bad guys like a bloodhound! He'd make a great attack dog."

"Uh, Nora, that's not what I meant by collar," Yang said.

"...Ohhh…No, yeah, you're right." Nora nodded. She folded her arms over her chest. "He could rock the collar."

"Could you two please?!" Jaune groaned, his face as red as the girls'.

 **"I take back any negative thoughts I had about today." Kurama chuckled out with a smile as he watched his friend try to escape Coco's grasp. "This is the best day of my life thus far, hands down."**

 **"Agreed." Sasuke nodded.**

 **Haku smiled. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."**

 **"Gah! Let me go, you crazy lady! Guys!? As your leader I order you to help me!"**

 **"No, Naruto! Stay with sister Coco!"**

 **"Haku!? Help!"**

 **"Best. Day. Ever." Kurama reiterated.**

"Not for Naruto," Yang said with a snicker.

"But for us? Oh yeah!" Nora cheered. She looked around. "So, who wants to bet that the next one will follow up on Jaune's bully?"

"No gambling, Nora." Ren denied with a sigh.

"Aw..."

* * *

 **Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **VI: The Art of Breaking Legs**

* * *

"...Yes! Called it!" Nora cheered once she read the sixth episode's title card. She turned to Ren and poked his arm. "I _told_ you someone would appreciate it. Guess you're lucky that I didn't get any takers for that bet, huh, Ren? Or are you unlucky? Think of the lien we could have made, Ren! Think of the lien!"

Ren merely pinched the bridge of his nose. Why did it have to be called that?

 **Naruto stood beside his team's bedroom door with his ear pressed against it while the rest of his team prepared for the following morning. They were being taken on a 'field trip' of sorts with teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL. It had been a week since NHKS had scared CRDL away from the lunchroom and befriended the older Team CFVY, but during recent nights, Naruto had noticed that Jaune, for some reason, was returning later and later with every day that passed.**

Jaune's shoulders sagged and he shamefully looked away from his team. Pyrrha put a comforting hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention back to his smiling friends. The leader of Team JNPR smiled back, albeit weakly. He had great friends, but he still felt really guilty.

 **"Anything yet?" Kurama asked as he cleaned the barrel of Rikudo's rifle mode. All of the new teams were aware of JNPR's leader's bizarre new habit and all were worried, aside from the members of CRDL, which made all of Naruto's team suspicious. With the thanks of skilled subterfuge and vast connections, Kurama had been able to gander a few guesses as to what was going on with 'PJ'.**

 **"No, not yet." Naruto frowned. He looked over at Haku. "Do it."**

 **Haku nodded and sat on his bed with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. Haku lifted his hands up and formed a rectangle with his thumbs and index fingers. It was a theorized ability suggested by Sasuke when Haku revealed more details about his 'mirrors'. In essence, Haku would make a smaller mirror, which he dubbed a 'looking glass' that was invisible to the naked eye and allowed him to see areas he had been to before. The three members of the team had been practicing it without Naruto to keep an eye on him when he was obviously pranking someone.**

"He could peep on anyone? Just like that?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes and a light dusting of pink on her cheeks.

"Haku hardly seems the type," Pyrrha said.

"Yes, but the rest of them?" the heiress huffed. "They'd muscle him into it!"

"Yeah, right." Yang rolled her eyes. "You hold such a grudge."

 **Naruto soon caught on and, with news of this ability, decided to put it to good use when rumors of Cardin and Jaune hanging out started to spread through the First Year circle. While Kurama argued he could determine whether or not Jaune and Cardin were together, Naruto pointed out that Kurama couldn't 'see' what they were doing. Kurama's Sensory was impressive, but it could not determine what someone was doing, just where they were.**

 **Haku's eyes snapped open, though they looked like they were focused on something distant and far away. "...It's as we feared, Jaune is with Cardin and his team."**

"He has joined the dark side, prepare the cookie cannons!"

"Uh, please don't." Jaune paled at Ruby's declaration. He didn't want to know what cookie cannons were. They sounded both delicious and dangerous.

And painful.

 **"Can you see what they're doing?" Sasuke asked as he sharpened his sword, Amaterasu, with a block of special Dust-laced clay.**

 **Haku narrowed his eyes. "Jaune seems to be...writing...Cardin and Russell are laughing, Dove is meditating and Sky...just spilled something on the parchment Jaune was writing on."**

 **"What a bunch of jerks." Kurama growled as he slapped a clip of ammunition into Rikudo. "Something needs to put them out of our misery."**

"Oh come – Break their legs, already!"

"It'll come Nora, I'm sure." Ren calmed his friend with a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"It'd better..." Nora mumbled. She crossed her arms and sunk into her seat. "They better dump the bodies where no one can hear them scream."

Jaune let out a whimper, why did Nora have to be so crazy?

 **"It's not that simple, Kurama. You know that," Naruto said with a sigh. The world was full of red tape and thin lines that made the black and white hard to see. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. "Dammit, if only we knew what they had on him to force him to do this..."**

 **"It's either something embarrassing about his family or something he did that he doesn't want anyone to know about," Sasuke said as he lifted his sword and examined the edge of the blade.**

 **"Possibly the latter," Kurama said with a sigh as he set Rikudo down on the ground beside his bed and relaxed. "Well, we could always 'go missing' tomorrow and prompt Goodwitch to call for a search party. Ambush them..."**

 **"We're not killing anyone, Kurama." Naruto deadpanned.**

"Duh...After you break their legs, they'll die of natural causes!" Nora explained as though she was talking to an idiot.

"...Nora. You're scaring me," Pyrrha said to the girl seated beside her.

"Huh? Why? It's not like they're going to break your legs, Pyrrha. Your legs are too pretty to break."

Pyrrha flushed and looked away. "Th-Thank you, Nora."

"Anytime!" Nora nodded.

 **"I never said kill." Kurama smirked lightly as he rolled his hand in the air. "I said ambush, if something happens after that, well, it's out of our hands, isn't it?"**

 **"The last time you tried that they somehow survived," Sasuke said pointedly.**

 **Kurama smirked darkly as he clenched his fist in the air. "Yes, but this time... I won't leave them with any aura."**

"Uh, does this make us conspirators to homicide?" Ruby asked uneasily.

"It's a show Ruby, it's fine." Weiss quelled her team leader's concern.

"...Unless it is multiverse theory..." Blake mumbled. She sighed and held a hand to her head. "That would make it plausible that there is a 'Naruto' out there..."

"What?" Yang asked. Her eyes squinted and she scrutinized her partner curiously. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, she didn't say anything." Weiss interjected, giving Blake the sternest of stern glares. They agreed to _not_ let Yang think of the possibility of multiverse theory.

 **"We're. Not. Killing. Them." Naruto glared at the fox Faunus.**

 **"Alright, alright, fine...but we can't let them go on like this. They could get hundreds of people killed down the line if they continue to act like-"**

 **"The Fourth War. I know." Naruto cut Kurama off. "We're just students, though, Kurama. It's Ozpin and the rest of the faculty we need to convince that they're not fit to be Hunters. They can put a stop to CRDL's rise before it even begins."**

"...Why haven't _we_ done that yet?" Blake asked.

"It's only first year, I think at the end of the year they would decide if their skills and deploring attitude would make for good Huntsmen." Pyrrha shrugged.

"That's still too long for them to be here." Blake mumbled.

 **"We could do that..." Kurama mumbled.**

 **"Kurama..." Naruto warned.**

 **"I know! I know! Geez, I'm just saying."**

 **"Jaune just left their room." Haku closed his hands and waited for a moment before he lifted them again. "He's on his way down the hall."**

"Quick, hogtie and brainwash him!" Nora proclaimed with a grin.

Jaune sent his orange-haired teammate a horrified and hurt look.

 **"Thanks Haku, you can break the glass," Naruto said with a smile before he pressed his ear against the door and closed his eyes. Team NHKS went quiet as the leader of the four listened through the door. Naruto opened his eyes when he heard floorboards creek softly by and grabbed the handle, but stopped when he heard something else.**

 **"What are you-?"**

 **"Shh!" Naruto cut Sasuke off as he faintly heard the other members of Team JNPR talking. Jaune must have been trying to sneak in again, but found that his team was still awake. There was another soft creak that Naruto arched a brow to followed by soft footsteps that were next door. Naruto waited for another few minutes before he smiled lightly and released the door handle.**

 **"What are you doing? What about the plan?" Sasuke asked as Naruto walked back to his bed.**

 **"Plans change, Sasuke." Naruto simply replied as he climbed into bed and turned off his light. His teammates seemed to follow his example and turned their lights off as they prepared for bed. As he closed his eyes and prepared to reimburse himself in the world of Ramen-Land, Naruto had one final thought.**

 ** _You're a good friend, Ruby_** **.**

"I try." Ruby smiled brightly when Jaune sent her a grateful nod.

 **"Man, and I thought there were a lot of bloody trees back home," Kurama said under his breath as he, Haku and Sasuke followed their team's leader through the red leafed forest of Forever Fall. Naruto had decided to walk with Jaune behind Team CRDL, who were all very unimpressed with the area, while the awed Teams RWBY and JNPR followed Professor Goodwitch ahead of them.**

 **"Yes, the forests of Forever Fall are indeed beautiful, Mr. Ōtsutsuki," Professor Goodwitch said, her words showing that she had misheard the Faunus. "But we are not here to embrace nature's beauty. Professor Peach has requested that all of you take samples from the trees deep inside this forest and I am here to ensure that none of you die in the process."**

 **Professor Goodwitch stopped walking and turned to face the students behind her, her eyes washing over them intently. Naruto grabbed Jaune's shoulder to keep him from walking into Cardin, who hung at the back of his Team unlike the leaders of RWBY and NHKS. Jaune sent Naruto a weak thankful smile that Naruto returned before they looked ahead as the professor continued with her instructions.**

"So, I have my own bodyguard?" Jaune hummed.

"More like you have your own babysitter." Weiss curtly corrected him.

"Oh…" The blond's shoulders sagged once more. That hurt him right in the pride and the heart.

"Though I doubt it'll be effective. Uzumaki needs his own babysitter," the Schnee heiress said under her breath.

 **"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap, however be aware that there** ** _are_** **creatures of Grimm in this forest. If you wish not to die, I would strongly recommend you stick with your teammates," she said. Professor Goodwitch adjusted her glasses and let her hands fall behind her back. "We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!"**

 **"...Is she bipolar?" Sasuke asked his partner quietly.**

"I think so." Ruby quietly agreed. Goodwitch was weird.

 **Kurama shrugged and took a jar from Jaune when he started to hand the supplies out.**

 **Once all the supplies were dealt out and Professor Goodwitch walked off to answer a question that Blake had, Cardin clapped a hand on Jaune's shoulder with a grin on his face. "C'mon, buddy, let's go."**

 **Jaune looked to his team, who started to walk in a different direction than Team CRDL, and his eyes locked with Pyrrha's. Just as Jaune broke the gaze they held and prepared to go with the other four, another hand grabbed Cardin's armored wrist.**

 **"I believe Professor Goodwitch said for us to join our teammates." Haku's eyes were intense as he looked into the taller boy's. His hand slowly clenched until the armor bound around Cardin's wrist started to groan in protest, which greatly alarmed the wearer of the metal. "You are** ** _not_** **Jaune's teammates."**

"…He's scary." Ruby mumbled and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"And tough, that's well made armor." Nora pointed out. She rubbed her chin. "I'd need a jolt to do that. Believe me, I tried without a boost and got nowhere."

 **"Y-Yeah, but-but Jaune's offered to help my team," Cardin said quickly.**

"I call bull to that," Yang said with a small frown. She still wanted to deck Cardin every time she saw him.

 **"When?" Haku asked firmly, his slowly tightening grip not stopping in the slightest.**

 **"Before we got on the Bullhead," Jaune said softly, resigned as he put a hand on Haku's shoulder. He gave the boy a weak smile. "It's fine, Haku, really. The others...they said it was okay."**

 **It was a horrible lie and everyone knew it. Haku stared at Jaune for a moment before he sighed and released Cardin's wrist. "Very well, Jaune, but if you need any help..."**

 **"We'll be right there." Naruto finished from where he stood with his arms around Dove and Sky's shoulders and his head down. Both teens were sweating bullets as the crazed whiskered blond grinned at their team leader. Kurama and Sasuke, likewise, had their arms around Russell, who was nearly hyperventilating as Kurama grinned at him and his concealed eyes flashed red once more.**

"They bring up the scare factor, it's nice." Nora giggled.

"And sexy." Yang purred in approval. Blake rolled up a nearby magazine and smacked the blonde upside the head. The blonde winced and rubbed her head.

"Never again." The Faunus muttered with a frown aimed at her partner.

 **Cardin quickly backed away from the other all-male team and swallowed. "C-C'mon, Jauney-boy. Time's a wastin'!"**

 **The rest of Team CRDL was quick to follow their leader's example and disappeared into the forest in a forced calm walk with Jaune not too far behind them. Naruto waited until they'd disappeared beyond a tree before he looked at Haku.**

 **"Go. Kurama, Sasuke, follow from the leaves and keep me informed." Naruto's orders were soft, but heard all the same as Haku closed his eyes and backed into a mirror that formed behind him. He vanished from view just as Kurama and Sasuke disappeared into the trees. Naruto crossed his arms and stood in the clearing with his eyes closed before he looked to his left at the sounds of leaves crunching under feet.**

 **"Professor." He greeted with a nod.**

"I don't think he was there." Jaune scratched his head. "Or did I just miss him. Please tell me I didn't miss him."

"No, you didn't." Blake told him. "I'd have smelled his tea."

"Oh, thank goodness."

 **The silver-haired headmaster nodded back and let his right arm rest behind him while the left kept a grip on his cane. He had snuck onto the Bullhead with relative ease after the student before him had visited him in the early hours of the morning prior to the departure. With a few offered testimonies and the many concerns of blackmailing brought forward, he'd decided to humor the young man and see if there really was any problem. Bullying was not that unusual for a school, but he had been getting reports of intense instances from a few other teachers, Port and Oobleck to be precise. They normally didn't question his decisions, and to have them do so was how Ozpin had felt something was off.**

 **"Mr. Uzumaki. Are you sure this is necessary?"**

"He gets the Headmaster involved. I'll give him a few points for that." Weiss begrudgingly complimented under her breath.

 **Naruto kept his jaw square and looked up at the headmaster with a cold stare. "Professor, if you let CRDL continue to be students at Beacon, not only will it worsen the students' relations with one because of their blatant racism, but if they somehow, Oum-forbid, managed to** ** _graduate_** **, your school** ** _will_** **be blamed after the first mission where they allowed innocents to die just so they could survive."**

"Now that's an insightful leader. Sasuke was right, Naruto really has a good head on his shoulders outside of the classroom." Pyrrha smiled.

"When he's not some stupid hellion." Weiss added with a roll of her eyes. She ignored the small frown Yang gave her. The blonde was far too enamored in the 'male-Yang-that-did/best-not-exist'.

"Er, yes, I suppose that's true..." Pyrrha conceded.

 **Professor Ozpin pursed his lips and his jaw twitched before he sighed. "I was afraid of this. Thank you for asking me before you did something. I've heard rumors of Kon Academy's final year lessons and I was afraid that you would act...in a poorly devised manner."**

 **"'The goal of every graduated student at Kon Academy is to protect the citizens of Remnant from Grimm, Terrorists or even other Hunters if necessary.'" Naruto quietly recited from memory as he looked off towards where Team CRDL had gone. He looked back at the headmaster with a stern glare. "I'm not the smartest guy in the world and I'm pretty sure I'm not the strongest, but I can read a person. I can tell what drives most people. Team CRDL is in this for the fame, riches and glory."**

"So? The world is like that." Yang shrugged. "It's a sad thing. Sure, we all have our own reasons, but sometimes it's the simple things. Like a good paycheck."

"...Or because we want to have adventures," Weiss said.

"What? I never said that was why I wanted to do it. That's just another reason for someone." Yang argued.

"And whether that's simple or not depends on _why_ they want the money," Blake said in return. "Nothing is just black and white, Yang."

"...Except for you and Weiss."

"...You couldn't resist, could you?" The two in question asked.

Yang grinned. "I know, I'm awesome."

 **"...If we do stop them and they can be rehabilitated, what then?" Ozpin asked.**

 **Naruto kept his gaze on the headmasters'. "If you let** ** _any_** **of those four become a Hunter of Remnant, the people that they let die – and people** ** _will_** **die – will be on your head."**

"Whoa, he told off Ozpin." Ruby awed.

"More like told him how things will most likely play out." Weiss corrected.

Ruby shrugged, she still thought it was epic. Naruto was pretty damn cool.

 **Professor Ozpin sighed for a moment before he smiled at the young man before him. "You are certainly your parents' son, Mr. Uzumaki. If they were still with us, they would be very proud of you."**

 **Naruto's serious look and frown vanished as he gained a small smile and looked up at the cloudless sky. "I certainly hope so."**

"Naruto's parents are famous, huh? That's cool." Yang smiled.

"They're most likely infamous if they're from Vacuo as well," Pyrrha said, a small frown on her face. The rest of her team and Team RWBY turned to her. Pyrrha shrugged. "Fame and infamy are all points of perspective."

 **The peaceful quiet between headmaster and first year student was broken when Haku stepped back into the clearing with a frown on his face.**

 **"What did you find out?" Naruto asked.**

 **"Cardin's goal is revenge," Haku said as his hands clenched hard until his knuckles turned white. "He tried to get Jaune to release a swarm of rapier wasps on Pyrrha and Blake and has mentioned that he's still trying to figure out something for us."**

Pyrrha scoffed. While she was held in high standing, some did tend to try and, in their words, "knock her down a few pegs." It hurt her when people really thought she was so full of herself.

"Prejudiced asshole." Blake grumbled with her arms crossed over her chest.

 **"You said** ** _tried_** **, Mr. Yuki?" Ozpin arched a brow. "Please explain."**

 **"Jaune refused to conform to Cardin's plan. Cardin didn't take it well. He began to beat Jaune, and the others soon joined in." Haku answered as he glared at nothing in particular. His hands had balled into white-knuckled fists and he turned to Naruto. "I'm with Kurama. We should stop this now."**

 **Ozpin hummed. "And why don't you?"**

 **"I was not taught in Kon Academy, but in one of the sister schools of Vacuo." Haku answered as he looked back at the headmaster. "We do not act without our team leader's permission or word unless our lives or the lives of others are at risk...It is a lesson that is taught during the...final year."**

 **"We'll be revisiting that bit of information later." Naruto crossed his arms and looked at the headmaster. "What's your say, Prof. O?"**

 **"I wish I had a cup of Atlas coffee, right now." Ozpin sighed and looked up at the sky. "Things are much easier to decide when one is fully caffeinated and awake. However, I've just discovered that one of my teams is abusing another student and plans to harm others."**

"Yes, leg braking time!" Nora cheered and raised her hands above her head.

 **He brought his free hand up to rub his eyes. "If I had a bunch of hard evidence before me gathered by a concerned teacher, my authority over the subject would be absolute, but alas, I do not. I cannot act on mere hearsay and testimonies with any assurance that they will be removed from the program."**

 **Haku scowled and made to speak, only for his partner to stop him. Haku gave Naruto a confused look and was shocked to see a grin on the whiskered teen's face.**

 **"What can you do?" Naruto asked with a fake sigh as his smile grew. "It's not like a blackmailer can be threatened."**

 **"No...indeed it is not. For anyone to know that I, Professor Ozpin, allowed one Jaune Arc to come to my prestigious academy despite the fact his application and transcripts were falsified, could bring about my end." Ozpin sighed dramatically.**

"What?" Everyone, besides Jaune and Pyrrha, turned to the boy in question with wide eyes. Jaune chuckled nervously and began to sweat bullets.

"Er...I'll explain later?"

"Please do." Weiss huffed.

 **"If only I had a way to ensure that the information never became public, but to do so would possibly involve crude and inhumane tactics brought upon the would-be blackmailer."**

 **Naruto's grin widened. "Professor Ozpin, I believe that your problem will soon rectify itself...and besides, Jaune Arc has proven to** ** _not_** **be clever enough to trick you, so there must be a reason that the Great and Wonderful Ozpin allowed such a student to attend his Academy."**

"Oh...great." Jaune mumbled. Ozpin and his parents knew he faked his transcripts? ...That's awkward.

 **"If I had ever to answer that question, I would say that politics had swayed me when I informed the parents and a certain** ** _influential_** **member of the Arc family." Ozpin pressed his hand against his forehead and began to woefully walk away.**

"I thought your family were farmers?" Weiss raised a brow to Jaune.

"Well, that's my parents. I do have extended family." The blond smiled thinly.

 **"Woe is me, for I am without a** ** _clear_** **answer to my problem. If** ** _only_** **there were a** ** _few_** **generous students that could possibly heal any** ** _bruises_** **and** ** _quiet_** **the problem for me** ** _without_** **any** ** _permanently_** **hurt feelings."**

 **Naruto looked at Haku as Ozpin disappeared back towards the Bullhead and nodded. "Now we can go deal with them."**

 **"...What was that?" Haku asked in mild surprise.**

"Explanation please." Ruby agreed with a confused look on her face.

"And this is why I'll be dealing with any politics we have." Weiss sighed.

 **"That was our unofficial permission to, as Nora so elegantly put it, break Team CRDL's legs." Naruto answered as he walked off towards the area CRDL had went to.**

"BOO-YAH!" Nora jumped out of her seat with her fists in the air. She landed in her seat and pointed smugly in Ren's face. "Ha! See?! I'm elegant! Naruto says so! I win!"

"...And here I hoped you were cheering over the leg breaking." Ren mumbled. He sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Yes, you win...But you can't do a giant clump..."

"Don't worry, Ren! I'm just going to dye your ponytail," Nora said with a smile. "It'll be fun!"

 **Haku followed after him. "I don't understand. Professor Ozpin was putting on a show, but...why?"**

 **"He can't outright** ** _say_** **that he wants us to ensure that Team CRDL doesn't try to blackmail anyone again." Naruto explained to his partner. He grinned. "One has to learn how to look underneath the underneath if they wish to find the truth."**

 **Haku frowned. "My academy never had those lessons."**

 **"It was a recent development in Kon Academy after the terrorist attack," Naruto said softly.**

 **Haku nodded. "I see...so, what exactly did Professor Ozpin say?"**

 **Naruto held his hand up and began to list off the subjects Ozpin's speech covered. "One: He can't do anything to CRDL officially without a** ** _written_** **proof of evidence from a teacher, so we can't get them kicked until we get some dirt on them. Two: Ozpin** ** _knew_** **that Jaune faked his transcripts and even informed his parents and possibly someone with more influence in the Arc family, so even** ** _if_** **Jaune's secret gets let out, Ozpin has a plan to deal with any backlash on himself, his school or even the Arcs. And finally, Ozpin gave us the go ahead to stop Cardin and his cronies as long as we don't permanently injure them."**

"…Ozpin's coldblooded." Ruby whistled.

Blake smirked. "It's how the game is played."

 **"...Did he really say all of that?" Haku asked with a frown. Naruto nodded and Haku furrowed his brow. "But what about Professor Goodwitch?"**

 **Naruto chuckled. "Why do you think she's really here? Our talents as Hunters are being honed, not taught for the first time. We've all proven that we have the skills to take care of ourselves and each other. Didn't you notice how odd it was that she showed up this morning instead of Professor Peach? Her presence meant that Ozpin took our words seriously and she'll make sure that Teams JNPR and RWBY don't try to get in our way or worse, try to help."**

"But…but breaking legs." Nora whimpered.

"You know, sometimes she reminds me of a puppy," Jaune said softly to his redheaded teammate. "A cute, little, blood hungry puppy."

Pyrrha had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.

 **Haku frowned. "Why is that worse?"**

 **"Three teams ganged up on another? We'd be no better than Team CRDL and our case would be in the trash sooner than you can say burnt ramen." Naruto lifted a finger and smiled. "But two all-male teams suddenly got into a fight? Boys will be boys, I suppose."**

 **Haku nodded and sent a small smile to his partner. "You've got a very tactical and underhanded mind in there, Naruto."**

 **"I don't know what you're talking about, Haku." Naruto smirked as he lowered his hand and quickened his walk. "Tell Sasuke and Kurama that I want Team CRDL separated from the others."**

 **Haku nodded and made a mirror in front of him that he stepped into while Naruto followed the small trail that Sasuke made with his sword.**

 **Cardin burst through the forest into the next clearing and doubled over to catch his breath. He stood up and glared at his team. "Wow, guys,** ** _thanks_** **for sticking around! If Jauney-boy hadn't managed to distract that Grimm for me, I'd be dead right now!"**

"I killed it." Jaune huffed and crossed his arms. Pyrrha, Ruby and Weiss shared a small smile with each other.

 **Russell pointed at him as he stood up from where he leaned against a tree. "You saw that thing! That Ursa was freaking enormous!"**

 **"All of those spikes..." Dove shuddered and rubbed his arms.**

"Wow, and they made it through the Emerald forest?" Blake asked with a snort. "Pathetic."

 **Sky Lark looked at Cardin with an arched brow. "So, Cardin, with that plan gone to shreds, how do you plan to get back at Uzumaki and his team?"**

 **"I'm still thinking about it, alright?" The tall boy rubbed his ruined gauntlet with his other hand and scowled. "But I do know that I'm going to make that Haku freak wish he hadn't wrecked my armor. This stuff cost me an entire month's allowance to be made!"**

 **"I do apologize." The sudden words made the four boys freeze and dart their eyes over to the side as Haku stepped out of one of his 'mirrors' to their left.**

"Jump scare!" Nora cheered with a bright smile.

 **Haku had a pleasant smile on his face as he held Snowfall in gun form towards them. "I must request that you don't try to run."**

 **"Or else what? You going to shoot us with that puny thing?" Sky Lark asked with a sneer as he and his teammates drew their weapons. He twirled his collapsed halberd in his hand and smirked at the feminine boy. "You know, I always wanted to find out if you were actually a chick despite your words."**

"Um…he probably goes into the boys' locker room. So, seriously?" Jaune asked. "Even I'm not _that_ dumb."

"That's debatable," Ren said with a small smile to show he was kidding.

Jaune still pouted at him.

 **"We can find out right now," Russell said with a grin as he lifted up his daggers. "If not, well, then you're just a cross-dressing freak!"**

 **"That's just sick," Dove said with a grimace while he aimed his short sword at Haku. "Almost as disgusting as sharing a room with a Faunus."**

"Make them _bleed_." Blake sneered, her eyes dangerous.

"Geez, do we need to get some catnip in here so you can relax?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"...No."

 **Cardin and the others chuckled at Dove's burn. "Nice one!"**

 **Their smiles fell as slow clapping came from behind them. Team CRDL turned and faced Kurama as he stepped out from behind a tree.**

 **"A-ha-ha-ha-ha, ho-ho-ho-ho, he-he-he..." Kurama's grin widened as his unnerving and sarcastic chuckle put the four bullies on edge. "What's wrong, Dove? No more jokes?" He tisked in disappointment as he pulled his staff Rikudo forward from where it rested in his arms. Kurama tightened his grip and the blades that dangled from the rings aligned at the top to make the spear mode. "That's a shame, and here I thought you were the comedy group. You're** ** _always_** **making such** ** _witty_** **and** ** _clever_** **jokes about us Faunus."**

"Yang, Blake is scaring me." Ruby inched to the edge of her seat, away from the Faunus girl.

"I know! It's awesome!" Yang cheered.

 **"Y-You stay back!" Russell warned as Kurama stopped on the edge of the clearing opposite Haku. He remembered passing out in the forest and it was** ** _not_** **an experience he wanted to go through again.**

 **"There's just two of them, Russell, relax!" Cardin chided his partner with a scowl before he smirked at Kurama and tightened his grip on his mace. "I've been waiting to knock that smile off of your face since we first met. Then once we're done with you two, we're going to find that pretty boy partner of yours and kick his ass, too!"**

 **"I assume then that you would mean me?"**

"Three on four. Shame. They might have stood a chance if it was two on four, and the two had their hands tied behind their backs." Yang mocked.

"Both Haku and Kurama seem formidable." Pyrrha said in agreement. "And I beat them all at once ...with Cardin's unintentional assistance. I believe it would have been a sweep."

 **Cardin's smirk fell and color drained from his teammates' faces as they turned to Sasuke, who stood on the edge of the clearing directly between Haku and Kurama. His weapon was in its sword form and what looked like black lightning arced around his hands and up the blade.**

 **"Threatening to beat up two of my teammates, that's dumb," Sasuke said slowly as he held Amaterasu in front of him. He smirked at the four. "However, it's far from the worst mistake you made today."**

 **None of the members of Team CRDL could speak before the space opposite Sasuke was occupied as the team leader of Team NHKS stepped from the forest while he cracked his knuckles.**

"And now for the big baddy." Yang grinned widely.

 **Naruto grinned at the four teens and began to loosen his joints. "You see, Cardin, your biggest mistake was thinking that you could get away with not only blackmailing** ** _one_** **of our friends, but trying to** ** _hurt_** **or possibly** ** _kill_** **the others."**

 **Cardin's eyes widened and his team backed into each other, each looking at different members of Team NHKS. Kurama's eyes glowed brightly behind his sunglasses as he met the gaze of a shuddering Russell Thrush. Sasuke smirked and lifted his now crackling Amaterasu towards the terrified Dove Bronzewing. Haku had dropped his smile and stared intently at Sky Lark while Snowfall shifted into its whip form.**

"They look like they're going to piss themselves." Jaune looked impressed.

"At least they're doing it outside, like good little animals." Blake mocked with a smirk.

 **"Now..." Naruto directed his attention to Cardin and the whiskered blond punched his fists together to make his Storm Breakers unfold around his hands. "I believe I told you that we'll fuck you up."**

 **"And believe me, we will." Kurama grinned as he held his hand out towards them. Russell's eyes became the size of dinner plates and the Faunus' grin widened. His predator instincts were starting to kick in and he awaited eagerly to be released from his leash.**

 **"But first, we have to make one thing clear," Sasuke said as the sky started to darken overhead and Dove's arms began to shake as they weakly held his sword up.**

 **"You** ** _will_** **leave Jaune Arc, the rest of Team JNPR, Team RWBY and** ** _any_** **Faunus on campus** ** _alone_** **." Haku cracked Snowfall and took a single step forward, which made Sky Lark swallow and lift his halberd.**

 **"O-Or else what?" Cardin either bravely or stupidly asked as he held his mace towards Naruto.**

"Wow, really?" Yang asked. "Is Cardin honestly that dumb?"

 **Naruto's smile widened. "Or we'll** ** _finish_** **what we started today."**

 **The three other members of Team NHKS moved before any member of Team CRDL could process what Naruto had said. They moved at once, their attacks nearly choreographed with how well timed they were.**

 **Haku's face was frighteningly blank while he faced down Sky. With a small crack in the air, Snowfall had suddenly wrapped around Sky's waist before the blue-haired boy could realize that Haku had moved. Haku's eyes flared with rage before he pulled back and flung Sky towards him. Haku turned and let Sky fly past him to crash through a few branches and land on his face in a bush. Another pull jerked the blue-haired teen from the ground and slammed Sky's back into a tree. A third and final pull on Haku's part peeled Sky off of the tree and into a well-prepared punch that knocked him out cold.**

"Sweet hell on a hamster!" Jaune squawked.

"That was fast." Ruby agreed, and way brutal.

 **Haku stared down at the boy with thinly veiled anger in his eyes and twisted his wrist to unwind his weapon from Sky's waist.**

 **Nearly frothing at the mouth when he was given the silent go ahead, Kurama charged at Russell with his hand still outstretched. His hand wrapped around Russell's throat, tightening slightly as he rushed the punk-like Huntsman-in-training into a tree back first. Russell let out a choked cry of pain as the back of his head slammed into the bark. Kurama grinned at the sound and took in the fear that remained Russell's eyes. So Kurama was a bit of a sadist, sue him, it was part of who he was. With Rikudo's spear mode, Kurama stabbed the tip into Russell's collar and threw him into the air. Kurama watched with a disturbingly wide smile as he gleefully witnessed Russell land atop Sky's still form with a loud smack. The Faunus' tail flicked happily as the two teens groaned on the ground.**

"A bit boring, but I guess he maybe drained him." Blake mused critically.

 **With vindication fueling him, Sasuke rushed forward and locked blades with Dove. Amaterasu's curved blade allowed Sasuke to control the struggle, but Dove was no slouch in swordplay as he held strong despite the disadvantage. Their eyes met, a dark pair filled with fear and a pair of black orbs darker than the night sky. Sasuke smirked and Dove paled. There was a soft boom of thunder before Dove recalled what Sasuke's Semblance could do, as shown in countless fights. Though everyone and their grandmother knew Sasuke abused his semblance, no one had yet to find a way to beat him in a class spar. No one aside from his teammates, that is. With this information in mind, Dove could only scream in agony when he was electrocuted, and all the while Sasuke continued to smirk.**

"We got a douche, extra rare!" Yang called out.

"Send it back, I wanted medium." Weiss huffed.

Yang nodded. "Right in the trash it goes."

 **The smoking Dove was then dragged over to the other two and piled on top of them. This was watched by the three defeated teens' team leader. Cardin tightened his grip on his mace and began to back away. He stopped his retreat and turned around when he was shoved in the back by the other team leader.**

 **"My team just beat yours in five seconds flat." Naruto had an intense gleam in his eye. The gleam became much more prominent as he began a slow approach. Cardin retreated a few steps, his body trembling, but never once took his eyes off of the whiskered teen while he spoke. "Sky's back is most likely bruised, his ribs possibly cracked and his nose is definitely shattered. Russell's head is probably throbbing** ** _and_** **he's probably not fairing well from the massive fall he went through. Dove is, well, he's currently experiencing the reason why your parents told you that you're not supposed to put a penny into a live socket."**

 **"...Y-You can't get away with this..." Cardin muttered. His father would - No, Cardin was not going to fall** ** _that_** **low. He was bigger than Naruto! The blond looked like a swimmer while Cardin was a knight! Cardin was trained in combat by the finest family teachers and Naruto was a known orphan, a nobody! He tightened his grip on his mace and he lifted it up over his head. A rage filled Cardin and he ignored the groaning members of his team. "You** ** _won't_** **get away with this!"**

"Dumb move, idiot, the dumbest of moves." Yang shook her head before she grinned and cupped the side of her mouth while she shook her other fist in the air. "Smoke 'im, Naruto!"

"Break his legs!"

"Ozpin said no lasting damage." Ren told Nora.

"They'd heal," Nora said with a roll of her eyes. "…Eventually."

 **Naruto showed no surprise as the other team leader tried to assert himself over him. In fact, he almost looked like he had planned for it, if the small quirk of the lip was anything to go by. Cardin saw red and dropped his mace down. Naruto merely let his right hand shoot up and he caught the mace as it fell. Cardin grit his teeth and tugged his weapon back, but it did not budge. Naruto's eyes locked with Cardin's, before they looked to the mace in the blond's grasp. Cardin's burning rage was doused by a chill of fear that overcame him when Naruto crushed mace in his hand.**

 **"Frightening, isn't it? But do you want to know what's really scary?" Naruto let a small smile cross his face as Cardin looked back at him. "I'm not even trying."**

"…Yep, he's crazy." Ren sighed out. And he thought Nora was a handful…at least they weren't on the same team.

 **Cardin's eyes were wide as saucers at the claim. That mace was arguably made of the strongest metals used when crafting weaponry, but the blond just crumpled it like it was tissue paper. Even if it was bravado, it took a hell of a lot of strength to do what the whiskered blond had done. If Naruto could do that to metal, then what could he do to a human's body?**

 **The question made all of the blood in Cardin's face drain away.**

"Amazing, now he thinks." Weiss laughed.

"...I need to use the bathroom real quick." Jaune mumbled as he got up and ran out of the room. The group frowned in confusion and Ruby paused the show. A few minutes later and Jaune came back with a relieved look on his face. Seeing their confusion, he elaborated.

"I asked myself the same question and was frightened by the possible answers."

A moment or so later, and the others followed his example, even the previously laughing Weiss.

Once they returned to their seats, Ruby resumed the episode.

 **"Now, like we said before, stop bullying our friends or else we** ** _will_** **finish what we started." Naruto warned before he drove his left fist into the taller boy's stomach.**

 **A sharp gasp escaped Cardin as he folded over from the blow and released his mace's handle. He stumbled back and fell to his knees, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Air failed to return properly and strangled sounds left Cardin's mouth. He faintly heard and blearily saw his ruined mace, his pride and joy, land in front of him. Naruto grabbed Cardin by the collar of his chest plate and lifted him up to look him in his dazed eyes.**

"Bitch, I own you now!"

"No more prison shows for you." Ren told his partner.

"Aww." Nora pouted. She liked those shows!

 **"I don't know if you can still hear me or not, but on the off-chance you can, know that we're watching you, Cardin Winchester. Know that you and your team** ** _lost_** **without even a** ** _sliver_** **of a chance." Naruto paused for a moment before he leaned in and whispered into Cardin's ear. "And know that** ** _I'll_** **end** ** _you_** **if you ever try to hurt my friends again."**

Jaune furrowed his brow, "I feel both thanks and fear…yet I am content with what has happened. So it's all cool."

 **Naruto pulled away to find that the boy's eyes had fallen shut and that his breathing had evened out. He gave a look of disgust to the unconscious teen before reluctantly hefted him over his shoulder. Naruto knelt and grabbed Cardin's mace while Haku, Kurama and Sasuke similarly picked up the other three members of Team CRDL and their weapons. With everything all set, Naruto led his teammates back to the rendezvous point, going over their cover story as they did.**

 **"Whoa, what happened to them?" Jaune asked as Team NHKS walked out of the woods with Team CRDL on their shoulders or in their arms.**

 **Naruto chuckled sheepishly as he walked forward with Cardin's body draped over his shoulder, his teammates not far behind him.**

 **"We found them fighting off a few Beowolves," he said. They had decided on making themselves out to be saviors while also making Team CRDL look somewhat respectable.**

"Boo, they deserve no respect!" Blake jeered heatedly.

 **This was only a warning, after all. Real humiliation and shame would come if Team CRDL decided to act out again. "Cardin's mace got crushed and the others got a bit winded. Poor Russell was pinned against a tree with a claw around his neck before Haku saved him. Being the good guys we are, we carried them back after they passed out."**

 **"And your jars?" Professor Goodwitch asked. She adjusted her glasses and gave a disapproving look to Haku, Sasuke and Kurama while they walked past towards the waiting bulkhead.**

 **Naruto rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "They sort of played the part of a needed sacrifice to ensure that we got away.**

"It was _so_ good." Nora sighed happily.

 **I'll apologize to Prof. Peach when we get back."**

 **"I see." Professor Goodwitch's eyes narrowed slightly. She let out a soft sigh and her gaze relaxed. "Very well, set him in the Bullhead with his team and we'll have some faculty carry them to the nurse's office when we return."**

 **Naruto gave a two-handed salute and followed after his team, who were followed by a reunited Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren. The sight of the happy Team JNPR brought a small smile to Naruto's face. His attention was drawn away from Team JNPR when Yang bumped her arm into his.**

 **"Wow, Whisker Boy, Cardin's got to be at least three hundred pounds with all that armor on, and I can't lift that much without my Semblance active. Even aura enhancement can't help you that much." Yang gave him an appreciative once over while her lips pulled up into a small smile. "Someone's a lot stronger than they look, huh?"**

"I can carry a huge speaker. Please." Yang scoffed.

"That doesn't weigh as much as Cardin's stupidly expensive armor," Nora said. "I can do the same easily, Yang. Lifting Cardin is _hard_. He's worth like, two and a half of me. Then you have to add in the weight of all of his armor _and_ his mace."

"...I could still do it." Yang mumbled. She rubbed her chin as a smile spread across her face. "But now that you say that...Think of all the bags he could carry."

Weiss and Blake had to take a deep breath after they thought about it to resist the temptation of finding their world's plausible equivalent to Naruto. His possible use as a carrier wasn't worth his tendencies for pranks or his and Yang's meeting.

 **"Eh, this is nothing." Naruto waved off her praise with his free hand while he adjusted Cardin on his shoulder. "When I was on a field trip back home, my teacher made me carry a captured Ursa back as punishment for running off without supervision. Let me tell you, those things may dissolve into wisps of smoke, but they are** ** _not_** **light."**

 **"I bet that really puts the 'oomph' in your pounding." Yang grinned as she elbowed her fellow blond.**

"I'll bet it does!" Yang grinned while everyone else in the room groaned.

 **"Yang! Seriously!?" Ruby, who was right in behind them along with the silently smirking Blake and the amused-but-trying-and-failing-at-not-showing-it Weiss, pulled her hood over her head and clapped her hands over her ears. Silver eyes glared up from beneath the edge of the red fabric into laughing lilac. "I** ** _so_** **don't want to hear that!"**

Yang pouted at her little sister. "If it was about weapons you'd be all over it!"

"That's not the point!" Ruby shot back.

 **"I was talking about fighting, Ruby," Yang said as Naruto laughed. The buxom blond grinned back at her little sister. "Such a little perv you've become. Geez, what would Dad say?"**

 **"That it was your fault!" Ruby shot back with a small flush on her face as she glared at the two blonds. She grumbled to herself while her sister, teammates and Naruto laughed at her outburst.**

"He would say that, you know." Ruby huffed as she looked away from Yang.

"You wish." Yang rolled her eyes. "He'd sooner blame Uncle Qrow."

 **"Enough fooling around, everyone on the Bullhead." Professor Goodwitch instructed as she strode past them. As Naruto boarded, he locked eyes with her and she gave a very brief nod to him, which made Naruto's smile become a tad bit bigger.**

 **"Well, it would seem that because of the, uh, Beowolves' attack, Team CRDL needs at least two more weeks of rest and Sky Lark may need more intensive therapy for his back." Professor Ozpin took a sip of coffee as he looked at the four teens that stood before him. "It seems as though Team CRDL owes you their life, as hard as it was for them to admit it."**

"Oh, it must've been a very large pill to swallow." Weiss agreed with the Headmaster.

"Hope they choked on it." Blake added scornfully.

 **"Just glad we could help some fellow students, Prof. O!" Naruto grinned widely while Kurama snickered and Sasuke smirked. Haku blinked and furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out what was really said. A second passed before Haku's eyes widened and a smile crossed his face.**

 **In the reflection of Ozpin's glasses was where Haku found the answer. Strewn across the headmaster's desk was a mess of papers, with a few of them having backwards written words that were hardly noticeable unless one looked. Together, the words formed a small message.**

 ** _CRDL silenced. Investigation begun. Good Job._**

"This cloak and dagger stuff stinks." Ruby pouted. She groaned. "Why can't things just be straightforward?"

Weiss pat her on head, much to Ruby's protest. "Because it's fun."

"Not to me." The leader of RWBY pouted.

 **"If that's all, then I believe I can file these injuries off as a Grimm attack and call it a day." Ozpin smiled lightly at the team before him. "Good job, boys. I can see you all are destined for great things and very protective. Now, off to bed with you. Tomorrow, the weekend begins, and one should always use that time wisely."**

 **"You got it, Prof. O!" Naruto gave a two-fingered salute before he led his team out of the headmaster's office.**

 **Once the door was shut Ozpin sat back and sighed slightly. He relaxed in his chair for a moment before a smile spread across his face.**

 **"He certainly is his father's son." The headmaster's words were met with a chuckle.**

"Ninja assassins!" Ruby cried out and got her kung-fu action ready.

"Ruby, you watch too many kung-fu movies." Yang shook her head.

 **"Isn't he? I think he's more like his mother, if I had to be honest." A tall man stepped slightly out of the shadows. The man cupped a hand on his chin and tilted his head back as he looked up. "I thought we had taught him better than that. He didn't even bother to check to see if the room was clear before the debriefing began."**

 **"He is still young and his guard never dropped. Besides, I believe he realized a moment after I started to speak that something was amiss," Ozpin said with a smile. He lost it though and his hands interlaced in front of him. "Have you any new developments, my friend?"**

 **"Something is on the move," the tall man said with a frown on his face. "I don't know if it's the Fourth War, Roman Torchwick's mysterious faction or the White Fang, but something is coming. They need to be ready, Oz. Not just those boys, but all of your students. They are going to be drawn into action and soon. Before you say anything, the time for letting the young act young is coming to a close. We need them to be protectors, hunters, and possibly even soldiers."**

"…And the mood went down…Is something really going on?" Jaune asked curiously, a hint of worry in his tone.

"Oh yeah," Ruby said with her best game face.

"Is that why you guys are always in trouble somehow? Because you get into a lot of it when left alone." Nora pointed out, making Team RWBY stammer.

"Um, uh, well…"

"They can explain _after_ we get through the episode, Nora," Pyrrha said with a smile aimed at the girls.

 **He dropped a file on the desk and Ozpin barely took a moment to look at the black CRDL scrawled across the vanilla file. Ozpin didn't bother to look at it, as he knew by the cardinal red tag what it contained. He was the one that had offered it to his guest, after all.**

 **"These boys are** ** _not_** **soldiers of Remnant, protectors of people, or even Hunters to counter the forces of Grimm. They are hotheaded, arrogant, cowardly, greedy and selfish little** ** _bastards_** **."**

 **The man leaned forward, glaring into Ozpin's calm eyes, while he pressed his fists into the desk.**

 **"How did** ** _these_** **bastards get into** ** _your_** **school, 'Great and Powerful' Ozpin?"**

"You'd think there was a screening process." Weiss scoffed.

"There is." Blake dryly noted.

 **"I do not know." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and set the mug down atop the file. He looked up and met the hard gaze of his guest. "But believe me, they will** ** _not_** **be here for much longer. It will take time, but we will find a way to legally plunge them from the system."**

 **"Make sure of that." The man's gaze became piercing. "Remnant doesn't need any more Falls, Torchwicks, or Weasels on the loose."**

 **"That we can agree on." Ozpin nodded firmly. He folded his hands together and glanced up at the other occupant of the room. "Any word on their availability?"**

 **The guest seemed to lose the tension in his shoulders. He backed away and smiled.**

"That doesn't look like a good smile." Ruby frowned.

"It's the opposite kind." Yang agreed as she pursed her lips.

 **"Oh, KAAG will be more than ready for this mission."**

 **"Good," Ozpin said with a similar smile on his face. "It was nice to see you again, my friend."**

 **"I'm always up for a visit, Oz." The figure waved before he slipped into the shadows and disappeared. Ozpin sipped his coffee and looked at the file that had been replaced when he wasn't looking. His smile widened as he flipped it open to find a biography along with a picture and he chuckled.**

 **"My, my, so many interesting people come out of** ** _those_** **academies... Very interesting indeed."**

"Huh, I wonder whose file that is." Blake mused.

 **"Coco, I swear if you don't let me go I'm going to prank you so har-gah!" Naruto gagged as his self-proclaimed sister hugged him tightly. He sent a glare to the rest of his team and the other members of Team CFVY for letting this happen. The older students had stumbled across Team NHKS shortly after they left Ozpin's office and the leader had quickly glomped her younger brother.**

 **"I'm** ** _so_** **proud of you!" Coco said for the umpteenth time. "Saving the bad bullies from a group of Beowolves after they tried to blackmail another rookie. Such a good little boy."**

"So cute~!" Yang cooed with giggles.

"Yeah, right," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.

 **"Oi! I'm** ** _not_** **little!"**

"I'm sure he's not." Blake slapped her partner's arm. Ruby nodded in gratitude while Yang glowered at the Faunus.

 **Sasuke smirked as he used his Scroll to record the duo. "I'm so holding this over his head forever."**

 **"Agreed." Kurama snickered while Velvet giggled next to him.**

 **Haku looked at Fox, who watched the interaction with a small smirk on his face. "I'm glad you got my message. Naruto was getting a bit fatheaded."**

 **Fox merely waved him off. The older teen was a man of few words.**

 **"Coco really does care about him," Yatsuhashi said softly as he smiled at the sight of the two 'siblings'. "We have a few missions coming up and she's trying to hide it, but she's worried about you all. Professor Ozpin has been acting far stranger than usual. His disappearance this morning put our teachers on edge."**

 **Haku arched a brow.** ** _So only Professor Goodwitch knew? Interesting._**

 **"Haku! Help me! I'm your partner, dammit!"**

"I say leave him to the wolves." Weiss coldly suggested.

"You wouldn't do that to me, right?" Ruby asked with doe eyes.

"If Yang was doing it? You could count on it." Weiss smirked. "I need something to hold over your head."

"Hey!" The leader of RWBY exclaimed and then pouted.

 **Haku looked at Naruto with a small amused smile. The whiskered leader was caught in a noogie from Coco and struggling to escape while the older girl laughed.**

 **"Say it! Say you love your sister!"**

 **"Never!"**

Yang eyed Ruby slyly.

"I love you, Yang!" Ruby rushed out. She did not want a noogie. Especially from Yang. Those _hurt_!

"Aww, I love you too, sis." Yang smiled fondly.

 **Naruto climbed to the roof of the dorm in order to escape Coco's grasp, using an access hatch that he discovered while he was playing a few pranks. As he hid, he kept a close eye on the solemn Jaune when the other blond walked out onto the balcony and stared off at the horizon. After Naruto learned that the boy had saved Cardin from an Ursa that attacked the two in a message from Yang, who was curious about his sudden disappearance, his opinion of his fellow blond leader rose significantly.**

 **Even though Naruto still felt he was the cooler of the two.**

"Don't have to rub it in," Jaune mumbled with a twitch in his eye.

 **Naruto smiled as he sat on the ledge, his gaze down at the balcony below. Jaune and Pyrrha's friendship was fixed, and Naruto had to cover his mouth to keep from giving away his position. Deciding that this was a moment he shouldn't be spying on, Naruto rolled back and kipped to his feet.**

 **"Good call, Puke Boy." Naruto mused as he walked to the roof access with a smile on his face. He kicked the access panel open and then tilted his head in thought. "Guess it's like Kakashi said, 'The Road of Life has many twists and turns.'"**

"Indeed it does." Ren nodded. The show's credits began to roll and Team JNPR turned to their friends.

"So...What's going on?" Jaune asked, a nervous frown on his face. Team RWBY exchanged looks before they sighed.

"Okay, so, back during the dance..." Ruby began.

* * *

 **Review, please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **VII: Son Goku Finds A Penny**

* * *

"Wow...that's certainly a lot to take in," Pyrrha said with an owlish blink once Team RWBY finished telling them about Roman Torchwick's secret plot and the reason behind the Breech.

"Yeah it is. But, the bad guy is in jail, so let's relax!" Ruby cheered. She looked at the screen and frowned slightly when the episode title came up. "Aw, man...I missed the music again! I gotta get my scroll out to check the song on Mazash..."

"Shh! It's starting!" Nora hushed the grumbling girl.

 **"So, it was nice of you to invite us to come with, but...festivals aren't my scene," Kurama said dryly as he and his teammates followed Team RWBY through the city of Vale. He was content to stay at Beacon for their Friday off, but Naruto had, for some reason, immediately accepted the invitation to come along. He was almost eager to do so, when they were asked. Naruto refused to tell his team why that was, and the grin on his face left nothing but the feeling of dread in his team's stomachs.**

"Bad omens come from that smile," Weiss said with a nod.

"More like Yang-ing-Ow!" Yang frowned at her partner and the rolled up magazine she wielded. The blonde rubbed her head. "Stop hitting me."

"Stop trying to make puns when they aren't needed." Blake countered firmly.

 **"Figures that** ** _you_** **would say that, Ōtsutsuki," Weiss said with a scoff. She gained a small smile as she walked through the streets. "This is no ordinary festival, though. This is the Vytal Festival! The Festival where Hunters from all over the Four Kingdoms gather together to celebrate different cultures through dances, parades, and a tournament!"**

 **"Sounds like a good time, what do you think?" Yang asked Naruto, who was far too interested in something on his Scroll. She arched a brow when he didn't respond. "Whisker boy, I asked you a question...Hello?"**

"Is-is he ignoring me?" Yang asked in shock. She pouted heavily at the screen. "Hey, studly, don't ignore other me! Other me! Show him some cleavage!"

"Someone get me a shock collar for my sister." Ruby pleaded as she hid her face in her hands. Weiss patted her on the shoulder in comfort.

 **Naruto snickered and rapidly wrote something back with his thumbs. Yang's eye twitched as her normally responsive friend ignored her. She leaned over to get a look at what he was reading, only for Naruto to collapse his Scroll before she could make any words out.**

 **"Sorry, just checking the weather," he said with a smile. "What was your question, Yang?"**

 **"I asked you how big you were when you were all hot and bothered," Yang said with a smirk on her face.**

"That'll teach him to ignore us." Yang smirked and folded her arms over her chest.

The rest of the audience was either red in the face or groaned.

 **The other members of Team RWBY gawked and stuttered at her comment while the other three boys gained amused smirks. Yang ignored them and watched Naruto intently, she wanted to catch him off guard in retribution for ignoring her.**

 **"Eh, bout three-fourths of a ruler, give or take," Naruto said nonchalantly like he was discussing the weather.**

"...Okay, I'll admit," Yang began, her cheeks the lightest hue of pink. "I didn't see _that_ coming."

"Bleach! Brain bleach!" Weiss wailed, her face crimson along with Blake, Ruby and Pyrrha.

"So just about Ren's size?" Nora tilted her head. Everyone looked at her, then Ren questioningly.

"It's not like that. We've known each other forever." Ren waved off their thoughts coolly.

 **Kurama and Sasuke laughed when** ** _all_** **of the members of Team RWBY stopped walking and turned bright red. Haku shook his head and smiled at Yang as she gaped at Naruto's response.**

"Turnabout is fair play." Blake smirked. She hissed when Yang slapped her upside the head.

"Bad kitty, don't make me get the spray bottle."

 **"I'm fairly certain that Naruto doesn't know the meaning of the word modesty." He sighed slightly. There were many a time over the past few months where Haku stepped out of the shower to find his half-awake blond friend using the toilet. It wasn't exactly the type of thing one wanted to see after they stepped out of the shower, but as a male, he could understand it. Still, Team NHKS was awaiting the answer to their request for a better lock on their bathroom door.**

 **"Y-Yeah, but he could just be trying to cover for himself when it comes to** ** _that_** **topic,"**

"There's some truth in that," Jaune said. He shrugged. "I honestly don't care. It's just a part of anatomy."

"A fun part of anatomy," Yang said. She rolled her eyes when the other girls aside from Nora glared at her. "Oh, come on, like you don't care...at least I'm honest with myself!"

 **Yang quickly said to save face, her cheeks cooled unlike her teammate's. She glared at Kurama and Sasuke when they smirked at her.**

 **"We've known the idiot since childhood," Sasuke said as he nodded towards Naruto, who had started to look at his Scroll again. "And we've roomed together for nearly half a year. Trust us when we say that Naruto's not kidding. Plus, Haku's right. Naruto does** ** _not_** **care about modesty."**

"Pig." Weiss grumbled under her breath.

 **"Yeah, I'll take a bowl of chicken ramen, Sasuke." Naruto waved off his teammate as he read through his scroll and snickered again before his thumbs began to blur across the screen. The group of eight were silent for a moment save for the tapping of Naruto's thumbs and his occasional snickers.**

 **"W-Well, yes, but that aside, there was a reason I wanted to come here today. And it was** ** _not_** **to discuss Uzumaki's privates." Weiss huffed with red cheeks as she once more started to lead the group down the street.**

"I still say we should continue on that topic." Yang protested.

"Silence!" Weiss and Ruby told the blonde.

 **Yang had to grab Naruto by his hood and pull him along since he was buried in his Scroll. As they walked, Weiss, Blake and Ruby started to lose the blood that had rushed to their cheeks while Yang had a pensive gleam in her eye.**

Blake shook her head and then looked at her partner. "You're terrible."

"Terribly awesome you mean." Yang returned with a grin.

"No, you're a fiend."

"Fiendishly sexy, damn right."

Blake gave up and returned her attention to the screen.

 **"So, what's so special about the Vytal, anyway?" Sasuke asked, tired of the quiet. That and Naruto's snickering was grating on his nerves. He needed a distraction before he instigated a fight just to end the annoyance.**

 **"This festival takes a long time to put together, all of the planning has to be perfect and all the coordination between the many people is astounding." Weiss explained with a smile on her face. She intertwined her hands together and sighed happily. "To be in charge of such an important event...Can you imagine how much work goes into making it a perfect atmosphere for Vale's guests? It's inspiring!"**

"Ugh, you're such a workaholic." Yang sent a raspberry of disapproval to Weiss

The heiress sniffed and folded her arms over her chest. "Well, someone has to be."

 **"Uh, I don't think** ** _that_** **is supposed to be inspiring," Kurama said as he pointed at a taped off Dust shop with two men standing outside it. The window was broken and yellow tape formed an X on the interior.**

 **The two teams approached the crime scene and Ruby interrupted the arguing officers with a clearing of her throat.**

 **"What happened here?" She asked.**

 **"Some brat threw a brick through the window, what do you think, kid?" The officer taking notes answered rudely.**

 **"Officer, there's no need for that. We're just concerned citizens," Haku said in Ruby's defense.**

 **"Eh, the pretty one's got a point," the other officer said with a smile.**

"…Then what am I?" Ruby's jaw tensed with an irked look on her face. Haku was more pretty then her? It was a blow to her ego, just a tiny bit…still stung.

 **"Someone broke in and robbed the place."**

 **"Strange thing, too. This is the fourth store hit this week," The irate officer said with a grunt. "And the lien was still in the register, just like the others."**

 **"Man, who would need all that Dust?" the other asked.**

 **"I don't know, White Fang maybe. You know what I do know?"**

 **"We don't get paid enough for this?"**

 **"Well, that** ** _and_** **the Chief will have our heads if we don't break one of these robberies before the festival starts."**

"Nice to see law enforcement at work," Blake rolled her yellow eyes.

"Well, it gets dangerous. Plus, if it is Torchwick, like we know it is, you can't go at him with regular uniforms." Ruby stated.

Weiss looked proud at her partner for such an astute conclusion.

 **The two teams took that as their cue to leave while the two officers started to moan and groan about their job.**

 **Weiss scowled and crossed her arms. "White Fang...figures that group of Faunus would be behind this."**

"And foot in mouth." Yang supplied while Weiss cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, not my brightest moment."

"Not your dimmest either."

Weiss gave the grinning Yang a pointed glare.

 **"Hey, watch it, Schnee." Kurama warned with a growl.**

 **"I'm just saying, only that group full of psychopathic criminals would do something so-so thoughtless and horrible," Weiss said.**

 **"The White Fang are** ** _not_** **a bunch of psychopaths," Blake said with a frown. "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."**

 **"Um, they're trying to wipe out all of Humanity." Weiss argued with a raised brow.**

Blake shifted in her seat a little when Weiss sent her a look.

 **"Okay, they're** ** _really_** **misguided," Blake said as she crossed her arms. "They're not all that bad though and either way, there's no reason for them to steal a bunch of Dust."**

 **"She's not wrong," Sasuke said. "About the White Fang, I mean. A few old members left because of the violent actions that the organization was starting to take. There was a member back in our hometown, he was a nice guy."**

 **"Really? What happened to him?" Weiss asked.**

 **Sasuke scowled and Kurama snarled as they looked away.**

 **"The Fourth War killed him." Naruto answered quietly as he pocketed his Scroll and slipped his hands in his pockets while he lowered his head. "His name was Hiruzen Sarutobi and he was killed in another Fourth War attack six years ago."**

"…Whoa, bummer." Nora frowned.

"A bit of an understatement, Nora," Ren said softly.

"Nice to know that both groups have so much in common." Weiss murmured to herself.

 **"Oh."**

 **The air turned tense as the members of Team RWBY tried to think of something to say while Haku put a hand on his partner's shoulder. Naruto gave his partner a grateful smile before he looked up and beamed.**

 **"Awesome, we're at the docks!" Naruto cheered.**

 **"Yes it – wait, why is that awesome for you?" Weiss asked. The others joined her in staring curiously at the whiskered blond.**

"Wait, we saw Son at the docks…" Blake trailed off.

"You don't think?" Weiss asked as she paled.

"It's possible."

"No, no!" Weiss shook her head furiously. "I refuse to believe they know each other! That'd be too much, I mean...what are the odds?"

 **"Uhh...I don't know?" Naruto offered weakly as he looked around the docks nervously. "I mean, um..."**

 **His pocket buzzed again and Kurama snagged the scroll before Naruto could stop him. Kurama held the item over his head and smirked as the slightly shorter teen tried to take it back.**

 **"I wonder what could be on this that you're trying to keep secret?" Kurama asked as his thumb lingered over the button.**

 **"Dammit, Kurama, give it back! That's an invasion of my privacy!" Naruto hissed as he tried to grab his Scroll. He was stopped from jumping as Yang looped one of her arms through Naruto's to keep him in place while she smirked at Kurama.**

 **"Read it, Foxy," Yang said. She wanted to know what distracted her friend from her amazing puns and jokes.**

"They aren't amazing." Blake, Weiss and Ruby drawled.

Yang looked flabbergasted and outraged. "How could my own team say that?"

"Easily." Blake rolled her eyes.

"I've been meaning to say it for a while now." Weiss added.

"Between you and Dad, I don't know whose are worse, but I've had to suffer for ten years." Ruby mumbled.

Yang hung her head and let out a sniffle.

 **"Oi! Yang!"**

 **"Hm, apparently there's a new message from...Son Goku?" Kurama arched a brow and looked at his team leader.**

"...Son Goku...Isn't that an equivalent for Sun Wukong?" Ren asked thoughtfully. Weiss paled while Blake looked smug.

"Told you so."

"Oh, hush you!"

 **"...He's my pen pal. Now give it!"**

 **Yang pulled Naruto back as he made a leap for his Scroll. "Oh, no. Now I** ** _have_** **to know what it says. Kurama?"**

 **"Way ahead of you, Blondie." Kurama smirked as he opened the message. "'Good news, Menma!'"**

"And that is another condiment for ramen noodles...like narutomaki...I sense a theme here..." Ren mused.

"Ha! No wonder he's addicted to Ramen," Nora said with a laugh. "If I could eat myself, I would too!"

Ruby didn't understand why Yang, Ren, Blake and Jaune started to snicker or why Pyrrha flushed and Weiss glared at the girl.

 **"Real original there, Naruto."**

 **"Screw you, Sasuke!"**

 **"'I think we dropped anchor,'" Kurama said as he continued to read the message despite Sasuke's ribbing. "'I'm going to crawl out of my hiding spot and sneak onto the docks. Hope to meet up with you soon, little dude!' Aw, you got a close friend by the sound of it, Naruto."**

 **"Shut up, Kurama!" Naruto hissed with narrowed eyes. He caught his scroll as it was tossed to him and stuck it in his pocket.**

 **"Almost brotherly," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Does Coco have to worry about some mystery guy stealing her cute little brother away?"**

"Now there would be some interesting drama." Yang smiled a little.

"I think we've had enough drama for now." Pyrrha sighed out. While normal school drama was interesting, she could go without it.

 **Naruto looked at him with horror. "You wouldn't dare."**

 **Sasuke flicked his Scroll open and his smirk widened as the team leader paled. "Try me."**

 **"Who's Coco?" Ruby asked Haku under her breath.**

 **"An older student. She's in my History class and part of Velvet's team." Haku explained. "She's taken to Naruto and practically adopted him as her little brother. Her teammates like to treat him as such. She's very similar to Yang sometimes."**

 **Ruby grinned and pointed at Naruto with a smile on her face. "A-ha! Now you know my pain when you and Yang gang up on me!"**

"Suffer my pain!" Ruby agreed with her other.

 **"Is she hot?" Yang's question caught her teammates slightly off guard. She shrugged. "What? You know how hard it is to avoid someone without knowing what they look like?"**

"True, but what does her attractiveness have to do with anything?" Pyrrha asked Yang.

"Everything, duh."

 **"She's got a point," Kurama said with a shrug. He made an iffy gesture with his hand. "Well, I'm not into you apes so the most I can say is-"**

 **He was cut off when shouts came from a nearby docked ship. The eight looked over as a distant figure ran across the deck of the ship and leapt to the docks despite the yell. Naruto's eyes went wide and he broke free from Yang's grip with a wide smile on his face as he ran towards the dock, knocking the two policemen to the ground in the process.**

 **"Sorry!" Haku apologized to the two officers as he, Kurama, Sasuke and Team RWBY chased after the blond. They followed Naruto to the dock, where he stopped and stared at the teen that hung by his tail from a light post.**

 **"You no-good stowaway!" a man on the ship yelled angrily.**

"This will be fun," Weiss said dryly.

 **"Hey, a 'no-good stowaway' would've gotten caught! I'm a** ** _great_** **stowaway!" The blond Faunus argued as he flipped up and sat on the light post while he peeled and ate a banana. He paused in his second bite as he caught sight of the group and his eyes widened. The 'stowaway' swallowed his bite before he grinned and jumped from the light post to land in front of the Beacon students.**

 **He had blond hair just as messy as Naruto's own, despite the fact it was a lighter shade. His skin was similarly tanned and they both shared similar blue eyes, though Naruto's were darker. The Faunus was dressed in an open white shirt that revealed his toned physique, red gloves and jeans that were rolled up to his knees while sneakers covered his feet.**

 **The Faunus' tail swung up happily like a monkey's as he looked Naruto over.**

 **"Sun-kissed hair, whiskered cheeks, orange all over, Menma, my bro, is that you?" He asked eagerly.**

"Is this a bromance?" Pyrrha asked curiously. She'd never seen one before, so she wasn't sure.

"Oh, I think so." Yang leered at the scene with a grin. The two blond boys together made for a nice view.

"And here comes the best part," Blake said with a small smirk.

"Don't tempt me. I _will_ toss away all your tuna," Weiss hissed.

 **"Monkey tail, red gloves and a chain on the right side of your pants! Goku!" Naruto greeted happily as he threw his fist forward.**

 **"Menma!" 'Goku' grinned and copied the action.**

 **Their knuckles collided and the two burst into even wider grins.**

 **"Sun Wukong." 'Goku' introduced himself.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki. I can't believe you actually made it all the way to Vale!" Naruto greeted the Faunus teen happily as they broke off their fist bump.**

 **Sun Wukong slipped his arm over Naruto's shoulders and ran his other hand through his hair. "Hey, man, when you're as slick as me, anything is possible."**

 **"...Oh Oum, there's more than two..." Sasuke mumbled. Kurama actively whimpered and Haku sighed.**

 **Yang, however, looked between the two blond boys with a grin on her face.**

"I agree other me, I agree." Yang nodded. Her sister gave her a confused look.

"About what?" Ruby asked innocently.

"Oh, you know... _things_."

 **"Sorry, Handsome, but that offer for a threesome with me and Whisker Boy has been redacted." She tapped her chin playfully.**

Yang tilted her head. "Oh yeah, forgot about that one."

"How do you forget?" Weiss snapped with pink cheeks.

"Meh, other me has better eye candy with a sense of humor. Pretty boys are nice to look at, but kind of...dull." The blonde grinned. "Whisker boy-"

"Do not start saying that!"

"Is way more interesting." Yang finished despite the interruption.

 **"Now, how to get them to make me a Yanging sandwich?"**

 **"I think I'm going to hurl." Ruby groaned.**

"I'm not far behind." Ruby gagged.

 **"I was talking about making me food. Man, Rubes, your mind has fallen** ** _deep_** **into that gutter, hasn't it?" Yang teased. She grinned widely when Ruby glared at her.**

Ruby glared at her sister, who grinned impishly.

"Good on you, Rubes. Thinking like that is fun!"

"Shut up, Yang!"

 **Weiss and Blake sighed, but both had small smiles on their faces at the sisters' byplay.**

 **"I have** ** _got_** **to show you the good stuff! The Ramen shops, the Dust shops, that haven't been robbed anyway, the secret you-know-what stock store," Naruto said as he started to lead the teen past the group.**

 **"All in good time, man, I'm in no rush. I'm just glad to be here, stoked even!" Sun looked over the gathered group and winked at Blake before he returned his attention to Naruto.**

"Flirting with you already, how cute." Yang teased her partner.

Blake looked away with pink cheeks and a small smile.

 **"But maybe some introductions are in order first. Eh?"**

 **Naruto looked from Sun, to his friends, and back. A sheepish grin spread across his face while he scratched the back of his head.**

 **"Right, right, sorry." He apologized. Naruto turned to the two teams and held a hand out to Sun. "Guys, this is my pen-pal and long distant friend since I was ten years old, Son Go-er, Sun Wukong."**

 **Sun waved at the group and patted Naruto's shoulder. "Sorry if this was a surprise for you all, but, uh, I'm** ** _technically_** **not supposed to be here yet."**

 **"Hence why Naruto kept it secret," Haku said with a sigh. He gave his partner a bemused smile. "Still, I'm surprised that you haven't mentioned your pen-pal sooner."**

 **"Oh, he's been busy with missions with his team, so we haven't been able to talk since, what, last year?" Naruto asked.**

 **Sun nodded. "That sounds about right."**

 **"Hey you!" The group of teens looked back as the cops started to walk towards them.**

 **"Uh-oh, the fuzz!" Sun looked around nervously.**

"Quick, run away like the guilty party!"

Blake glared at Weiss.

"Well, he did stow away illegally." Weiss shrugged.

 **Naruto pushed Sun in front of him and they fled from the officers. He looked over his shoulder at the others. "Split up and cheese it!"**

 **Team RWBY took his words to heart and split down the other way. Haku stepped into a mirror and vanished. The cops ran past Kurama and Sasuke without acknowledging them. The two partners waited for a moment before they looked at each other.**

 **"...Wanna go hit up the arcade?" Sasuke asked.**

 **Kurama shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Sure, why not?"**

"Isn't that team courtesy? They care, like, so much!" Yang giggled at the scene.

"If you had to deal with Naruto, I guess you'd get used to such things." Pyrrha mused.

"Or at least get him a night in a cell just to humble him." Weiss mumbled. "Or maybe committed to an asylum."

"He's not that crazy." Blake rolled her eyes.

"He acts it, though."

 **"Wow, they really** ** _don't_** **ever look up," Sun said in surprise as he and Naruto relaxed on the ledge of a building. They watched the alleyway they had ducked into as the two officers ran right past the fire escape they climbed.**

 **"Told you so." Naruto grinned and looked up as Haku stepped out of a mirror beside him. "Hey, Haku. Haku, Sun Wukong. Sun, this is my assigned partner Haku Yuki."**

 **Sun tilted his head before he beamed and pointed at the newcomer on the roof. "Ah, yeah! You're the really polite girly boy that can walk through teleporting mirrors."**

Ren winced. "That has to hurt his pride."

"Just a bit, yeah." Jaune nodded in agreement.

 **Haku sighed and nodded with a small smile. "Well, Naruto explained it almost correctly, so I can't fault you. A pleasure to meet you, Sun."**

 **"Man, you really are super polite." Sun blinked with a wry grin on his face. He looked at his fellow blond. "So, how'd you prank him?"**

 **"Eh, let my other teammate who thought he was a girl walk in on him while he was showering."**

 **"Nice!"**

 **Haku sighed into his hand as he palmed his face.** ** _What have I walked into?_**

"Something horrific." Weiss droned, like she was waiting for the world to end.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Stop being over dramatic."

"My drama is on a perfectly normal level, thank you very much!"

 **Sun hopped to his feet and dusted off his pants.**

 **"Right then, can we go find the cute girls now?" He grinned at Naruto. "I want learn more about the hottie that was ogling us. So, what? You two dating?"**

 **"Nah, Yang and I are just joking around most of the time," Naruto said as he got to his feet and interlaced his hands behind his head.**

 **"Then she's open season?" Sun asked with a grin. Naruto gave Sun a small smile.**

Yang rested her hand on her forehead. "Oh to be popular, tis but a curse!"

"One we can only hope leaves you once you get wrinkles." Ruby added. She grinned when Yang glared at her lightly.

 **"I guess so. But, old friend or not, if you do hook up with her and hurt her down the line..." Naruto reached out and punched a smokestack. A web of cracks spread up the brick before it crumbled into dust. Haku stared at the feat of strength while Sun laughed nervously and his tail ducked between his legs.**

"Aww, that's so sweet." Yang sighed dreamily and leaned on the arm of the couch beside her.

Ruby let out a sigh, but remained silent. Yang would do that to a guy if they hurt her anyway. Poor Sun.

 **"Message received, man. Message received."**

 **"You should've seen what he did to a student that was blackmailing our male friend." Haku smiled lightly at the memory. "The student's weapon was crushed and he was knocked out in a single punch. He's still in the medical ward of Beacon recovering, I think."**

 **"Yikes." Sun blinked and looked back at Naruto. "You are a scary dude, you know that?"**

 **"That's** ** _not_** **including the pranks I've done over the years." Naruto added. A Cheshire grin spread across his face. "I've yet to be caught for the real big ones."**

 **"I repeat,** ** _you're_** **a scary dude."**

"Comeuppance happens to all." Weiss sniffed.

"You _really_ don't like him, do you?"

Weiss glared at her partner. "He wrapped duct tape around my face!"

"I think it was an improvement." Yang grinned when she got a fiercer glare from the heiress.

"No one asked you!"

 **"Hm, this would be a lot easier if Kurama was with us," Naruto said as he peered down from the rooftop of the building he was on. "This city is almost too big, they could be anywhere by now."**

 **"We could try to contact them with our scrolls," Haku said dryly, only to be ignored. He was seated and using his looking glass to see if he could pinpoint either Team RWBY or Kurama and Sasuke under Naruto's instructions.**

 **Sun rubbed his chin and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, is Kurama the fox-tailed Faunus? The dude in the red?"**

 **"Right." Naruto nodded with a grin.**

 **"He's the one that you pranked with a water gun, a pencil and rubber duckies, right?"**

"How could that even be a prank?" Pyrrha asked, confused greatly.

"...The thought alone is terrifying." Jaune mused with wide eyes. "Like Cardin's question...out of context, it's scary..."

"Stop thinking about it!" Weiss barked. She did not want to have another episode where they all had to run for the bathroom.

 **"Yep! He kicked my ass hard for that one. Heck, I think that's the reason I managed to activate my Semblance for the first time."**

 **"I want to know so badly what you're talking about, but I think for sanity's sake, it's better if I don't ask," Haku said. "They're not on Main Street."**

 **Sun chuckled as he plopped down next to the feminine boy. "You're a lot like my buddy Neptune, you know. The straight man of the group."**

Weiss gave a wistful sigh.

"Oh, get over it." Yang rolled her eyes.

 **"You implying that you're not straight?" Naruto asked out of sheer curiosity.**

 **"Little dude, life is worth living to the fullest," Sun said with a sagely nod. "We only got one shot to do with it what we will, so why not go for what we want? Girls, guys, human or Faunus? I don't care, Sun just wants to bring the fun!"**

"Well, _that_ sounds like a party." Yang nudged Blake with her elbow. "Right? Right?"

"Shut up, fiend." Blake shoved her partner and glared at her. It was not as effective due to her red cheeks.

 **"Wise words, my friend." Naruto nodded. "You only live once. Y-O-L-O."**

"Yolo!" Yang cheered and pumped her fists.

"That's Yang to a T alright," Ruby said dryly.

"You know me so well, sis!"

 **"Yolo?" Sun rubbed his chin again and his lips spread into another smile. "Yolo...I like that. It's got a nice ring to it."**

 **"Yeah, but if it becomes a phrase, people will use it as an excuse to do stupid things," Naruto said as he sat down beside his penpal.**

 **"Isn't that the purpose of it though?" Sun asked him.**

 **Naruto shook his head. "No. I agree that you should live life to the fullest, but you should not risk your life trying to perform stupid acts. Yolo should be, like, a suggestion."**

 **"Ah, you mean like a school's rules?"**

 **"Exactly!"**

 **Haku sighed. "I fear for the future if either of you become teachers or procreate."**

 **"Man, Sasuke and Kurama made you so mean," Naruto said with a pout while Sun laughed at the look on his face.**

 **"Found them." Haku's eyes blinked a few times before he stood up and pointed to the north. "Team RWBY is four blocks that way on Monty Ave."**

"They have the best shops." Weiss smiled happily.

"Oh, the little accessory shop is wonderful." Pyrrha added.

"You go to that one?" Weiss asked.

"Of course!"

"We really need to get a shopping day with our teams."

"What a wonderful idea!"

"Then it's settled. After this?"

"Why not?"

Ruby and Jaune looked at each other. What just happened?

 **"Cool, then let's go! I'm getting sick of sitting around. It's making me all philosophical and stuff," Sun said and shuddered at the thought. He rubbed his chin. "But how to make this interesting? You two up for a race?"**

 **"Sure! Ready-set-go!" Naruto jumped across the street and landed on the other building's roof. He turned and grinned at Sun and Haku while he flashed them the victory sign.**

 **"Hey! You little rat, that's cheating!" Sun scowled before he followed after the shorter blond.**

 **Haku watched the Faunus and his partner start to race across the rooftops and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "How did I not see that coming?"**

 **With a sigh, Haku made a mirror behind himself and stepped into it. He might as well throw both off guard by beating them in the race. They never set any ground rules, so Haku would abuse it and hold the victory over his team leader's head. Forever.**

"Wow, Haku can be cruel." Jaune whistled.

 **"Not cool, man. Not cool." Sun sulked beside Naruto, both of them curled up on the roof of the building and drawing circles with their fingers.**

 **"Haku's so mean...cheating like that." Naruto agreed with a sniffle.**

 **Haku rolled his eyes. "Grow up, Naruto. Neither of you set ground rules, so why wouldn't I abuse my Semblance?"**

 **"Cheater..." the two blonds accused sourly.**

"All's fair in a race." Ruby smirked.

"Funny coming from the speed demon." Nora giggled.

"I let the billow of my cape do the talking!"

 **"I prefer to see it as thinking outside the box," Haku said. He looked down and arched a brow. "It seems that Ruby has made a new friend..."**

 **"New friend?" Naruto asked as he perked up.**

 **"Is she cute?" Sun asked at the same time.**

 **Haku hummed. "Can't really tell from this far up..."**

 **"Then let's go say hello!" Naruto exclaimed before he hopped over the edge of the roof. "Look out below!"**

 **"...He really is the twin brother I never had," Sun said with a chuckle before he did a swan dive. "Banzai!"**

"Am I the only sane blond around?" Jaune asked, getting a look from Yang.

"I'm not sane?"

"No." Jaune deadpanned.

"Oh. Well, okay, just making sure."

 **Haku's eye twitched and pinched the bridge of his nose. "One week he decides to be super smart and tactical, and the next it's like he's a kid on a sugar rush. Fog Academy never prepared you for this kind of teammate. It has to be something in the ramen. It just has to be."**

 **He stepped back into a mirror and walked out to stand next to Weiss, who jumped when she realized he was there.**

 **"Ah! Geez, Haku, you need to say something when you do that!" Weiss glared at the androgynous boy.**

 **"Sorry, Weiss." Haku smiled at the girl. He then looked up as Naruto landed beside him and Sun flipping at the last second to land safely. "What took you two so long?"**

 **"Dude, so not funny." Sun mumbled as he crossed his arms and pouted at the smiling feminine boy.**

"It's a little funny." Ren cracked a small smile.

 **Naruto shook his head before he looked at the other new addition to the small group. She was a girl about Ruby's height, but had a few inches on his fellow team leader. Her hair was curly and chin-length, and – most importantly – an** ** _awesome_** **shade of orange. Her eyes were green and freckles were dusted across her nose and cheeks. In her** ** _awesome_** **orange hair was a pink bow and around her neck was an oddly futuristic looking black and neon green collar. It was odd because he clashed with the old-fashioned beige clothes that the girl wore. Then again, the collar matched her stockings, so maybe it was fine.**

"Hi Penny!" Ruby waved cheerfully.

 **Naruto wasn't really into fashion, he liked wearing orange, which was noted to be a fashion no-no.**

 **"So, Ruby, who's the new girl?" Naruto asked while he let his hands interlace behind his head.**

 **"Someone Weiss ran into," Ruby said. She ignored the outraged cry that her partner made. "Naruto, this is, uh, Penny."**

 **Naruto grinned at the girl. "Nice to meet ya!"**

 **"Salutations!" Penny greeted back with a smile on her face.**

 **Haku stared at the girl before he leaned over to Sun. "Do you notice anything...** ** _off_** **about her?"**

"Everyone can see it, why do they ignore it?" Weiss demanded.

"Because we're not rude." Blake returned simply.

 **"Yeah, I know." Sun nodded in agreement. "That collar looks** ** _way_** **out of place. She needs some bling or something, and to show a bit of skin like the Schnee girl or Blondie, there."**

Weiss covered her legs while Yang leaned back to show off the gifts of her growth.

 **Haku clapped his hand to his face while Weiss flushed bright red and glared at the Faunus. Yang grinned at her fellow blond and put a hand on her hip while she flipped her hair.**

 **"Well, you know, if you got it, you gotta flaunt it!" She said.**

 **Sun laughed and gestured to his lack of shirt. "I totally agree! If we're gonna die on a job, might as well do so looking amazing!"**

 **"Or with a smile on your face," Naruto said with a nod.**

 **"...There** ** _are_** **three of them..." Ruby mumbled with horror. She swallowed and rubbed her arms. "Dad's not going to believe this..."**

"He will cry." Ruby agreed, getting a frown from Yang.

"You are on a mean streak today."

"It's true, though."

 **"Gotta enjoy what you do." Yang agreed before she frowned at her whiskered friend. "So where did you run off to?"**

 **Sun arched a brow and looked at his laidback companion. "I thought you two weren't dating?"**

 **"We're not," Naruto said as he gave an Faunus boy a confused look. "Didn't I already explain that?"**

 **"Yeah, but she totally just used the 'you're in trouble and you're not getting any until I say so' voice," Sun said. Naruto stared at him for a moment, which made Sun furrow his brow. "You've had a girlfriend before, right?"**

 **Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah."**

"Aw man, I wanted first dibs on that." Yang pouted.

"I don't want to hear this!" Ruby cried out and clapped her hands over her ears.

 **"Not according to Sasuke and Kurama, you haven't." Haku drawled. Yang snickered and Blake pinched the bridge of her nose.**

 **"You're not allowed to talk, cheater." Naruto glared at his partner, who rolled his eyes in response.**

 **Sun munched on an apple he pulled from...somewhere. "And you have had sex, right?"**

 **"Where did you get that apple?" Weiss asked, but scowled when she was ignored.**

"Hammer space." Nora answered with a solid nod.

"The heck is that?" Jaune asked his teammate.

"Just a special little place to keep stuff hidden~"

 **"Dude," Naruto said, mock offended. "I** ** _told_** **you about that time I took that fine woman working at the Kon ramen shop!"**

 **Sun rubbed his chin and took a bite from his apple. He slowly started to nod his head. "Right, right, that girl without the gag reflex."**

The more innocent girls (Ruby, Weiss and Pyrrha) tried their best to not listen to the conversation, but failed, miserably.

Yang, however, nodded in understanding. "Well, with something three-fourths of a ruler-"

Blake, her face slightly more red than the others', shoved a pillow into Yang's face.

 **"Not listening!" Ruby declared as she pulled her hood over her head and covered her ears. Yang arched a brow at Naruto.**

 **"No gag reflex?" She asked. The whiskered blond winked back at her, before he looked back at his Faunus friend.**

 **"Exactly. Thanks for those tips, by the way," Naruto said with a nod.**

 **Sun tossed his finished apple over his shoulder and smirked. "Little dude, it's what I'm here for. To spread my message of fun and free living across the world!"**

 **"No, but seriously, where did you get that apple?" Weiss asked again with a scowl.**

 **"Stole it. So you've had a girlfriend –"**

 **"Debatable."**

 **"Haku, shut up." Naruto glared at his partner.**

 **"You stole it!?" Weiss glared at the blond Faunus.**

 **Sun arched a brow. "Yeah, so what?"**

 **Weiss felt her eye twitch. "You no good rapscallian, I should turn you in to the authorities. Perhaps you have some information about the White Fang!"**

"No he doesn't!"

"I get it, Blake." Weiss grumbled out in annoyance. Why was she getting picked on?

 **"Wow, so quick to jump on that boat, aren't you?" Sun asked, smiling in amusement.**

"This is Weiss, she'll jump on anything." Yang joked.

"I would not!" Weiss screamed at the grinning blonde. Her face was nearly as red as her partner's hood.

Speaking of her partner, Ruby glared at her sister. She knew not to rile Weiss up like that! It didn't end well for the team leader!

 **"And you snuck onto a ship! More evidence of your criminal connections!" Weiss scowled at the Faunus boy. "I'm going to take you into the police to see how far your connections go. I'm certain with enough digging we'll discover something on the evil White Fang-!"**

 **"For the last time, the White Fang aren't evil!" Blake snapped at the Schnee heiress.**

 **"They** ** _are_** **crazy, though." Sun crossed his arms and nodded sagely. He arched a brow when Blake glared at him. "What'd I say?"**

 **"Anyway! Yes, I** ** _have_** **had a girlfriend." Naruto repeated so that he could get back on topic.**

"Because that's the most important thing right now." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"I think so." Yang mumbled.

 **Sun nodded and looked back at his younger friend. "You've had a girlfriend and you've had sex...but have you had sex with a girlfriend?"**

 **"..."**

 **"Your silence speaks volumes."**

 **"Fuck you, Haku."**

 **"I'd pay to see it!" Yang hooted**

"Then go look on your Scroll." Ruby snapped at her sister.

"I already do, though."

Ruby was gaping at the honest confession.

 **and nudged Blake. "Am I right?"**

 **Blake glared at her. "I am** ** _not_** **in the mood."**

"Get the catnip." Yang stage whispered to her other. Blake punched Yang's arm.

 **"Got it."**

 **"I don't understand, why would you pay to see him fuck him?" Penny asked with a confused smile as she pointed from Naruto to Haku. The group, save for Ruby who was still in her own little world thanks to her hands over her ears and her humming, looked at her. "Is it because you are sexually aroused by homosexual intercourse between two attractive males? Why would that arouse you?"**

Ruby just broke into giggles at this. Oh Penny…poor, poor innocent Penny.

 **"...Ri-i-ight..." Sun turned back to Naruto. That was not a question he wanted to touch on, considering the odd way the girl had phrased it. "That tone Blondie there used is usually reserved for a sexually active partner."**

 **Naruto blinked, looked to Yang – who winked at him – and then looked back at Sun. "So...What does that mean?"**

 **Haku dropped his face into his hand and let out a groan.** ** _He can construct a sadistic and well-prepared intimidation ambush, psychologically analyze people with a glace, but can't see when he and Yang have chemistry? My partner is so strange..._**

Yang tossed her arms up in the air. "I know! I've been hinting at it for a while now! Geez!"

"You've been screaming it. Your other has been hinting it," Blake corrected her.

"Same thing."

"...It's not real..."

"Stop crushing my dreams!"

 **"...Nope, I've interfered far too much already." Sun crossed his arms and began to walk away. He stopped and turned back with a grin on his face. "I'm gonna go check out some of the food around town and see if I can't find a place to stay, meet up tomorrow?"**

 **"Sure!" Naruto nodded with a grin on his face. "I can show you** ** _that_** **place for the things-that-shan't-be-named."**

 **Sun grinned and gave Naruto a thumb's up. He then jumped up to the top of a nearby building and ran off, Naruto and Penny waving him off.**

 **"Farewell new acquaintance! I cannot wait until we face one another in the tournament!" Penny smiled as she waved.**

 **Weiss, Blake, Yang, Haku and Naruto turned to face Penny.**

 **It was Weiss who broke the ice. "You're participating in the Vytal Festival Tournament?"**

"I think we're doomed." Ruby groaned.

"She's not _that_ powerful." Weiss scoffed in pride. Blake and Ruby heavily disagreed.

 **Penny turned to her and beamed. "Yes! I'm combat ready!"**

 **"...She's** ** _adorable._** **" Naruto beamed as he looked at the girl.**

"It's true." Ruby agreed, Penny was very cute…and huggable.

 **"Indeed. Coco would love her."**

 **Naruto glowered at his partner. "Why must you bring her up?"**

 **"Because she's the only one that can keep you in check aside from this Kakashi fellow I keep hearing about in passing?" Haku returned dryly.**

 **"Psh, Kakashi** ** _wishes_** **he could keep me in check!" Naruto scoffed as he crossed his arms.**

 **"...Wait, that degenerate is participating as well? How do you know that?" Weiss asked Penny with narrowed eyes.**

 **Penny smiled at her. "I have read and memorized the list of participants from all schools in the tournament eight thousand, three hundred and twenty seven times. Sun Wukong is a talented fighter from–"**

 **"Mistral." Naruto finished with a grin. He, unlike the others, was not phased by Penny's odd reading habits. "So I can assume you've been watching his videos?"**

 **Penny turned to him and nodded. "I've been analyzing his fighting style, yes."**

 **"Videos?" Yang asked with an arched brow.**

 **"Quick little informational videos on impromptu fighting." Naruto shrugged. "Mostly him beating the tar out of his classmates."**

"That sounds like fun…we could totally get paid for beating up our classmates and putting it up on ViewTube!" Yang gasped and then beamed at her brilliance.

"We aren't doing that." Ruby shot the idea down.

"We could use it to start some funding, " Weiss said thoughtfully. Ruby looked betrayed and then thought about it. She did want to get that special polish for Crescent Rose.

 **"I may have to look at some of these videos..." Yang mused. "Watch those abs move...how did he get those, anyway?"**

 **"He's got a special intense workout he's developed since he was young." Naruto nodded as he lifted his shirt to reveal his defined abdominals, which were similar to Sun's. "I've been using Sun's workout since I was fourteen. It's made me very flexible."**

 **Yang grinned at him. "Really now?"**

 **"Oh, like you wouldn't believe, Yang." Naruto grinned back.**

 **"Flirt later." Weiss cut between the two blonds and she grabbed Penny's shoulders. "Does he have any connections to the White Fang?"**

Blake threw her hands in the air. "And you wonder why I snapped?"

"I apologized!" Weiss argued.

"Seeing it again isn't helpful." Blake refuted.

 **Blake snapped her eyes open and glared at Weiss. "Why are you so insistent on making him out to be a bad guy?"**

 **"Um, because he stole some apples? Snuck onto a ship and who knows what else?" Weiss countered as she turned and looked at the raven-haired girl. "Face the facts, Blake. That Faunus is a criminal!"**

 **"Oi! That's my friend, you're talking about Sneeze," Naruto said with a frown.**

 **"And that makes you an accomplice!" Weiss argued.**

"Okay, that was a little overzealous." Pyrrha frowned.

Weiss shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She knew that already.

 **"So?" Naruto countered with an arched brow. He crossed his arms. "Sun's a good guy. He's my friend. So he steals apples and sneaks on boats, so what? I've done similar stuff."**

 **"That's not a good thing!" Weiss glared at him. She released Penny and turned to fully face Naruto. "You should be ashamed of yourself, abusing your training in such a manner!"**

 **Ruby, hearing her partner's angry voice, dropped her hands from her ears and looked around.**

 **"What'd I miss?" Ruby asked her sister.**

"You should really stop censoring yourself, Ruby. You tend to get out of the loop."

Ruby pouted at the teasing of her sister. "It was all your fault anyway!"

 **Yang, without removing her eyes from the arguing trio, shushed her. "This is getting good, just watch. I'll fill you in later."**

 **"Am I?" Naruto asked with an arched brow. "Huntsmen and Huntresses are occasionally required to do unsavory things to stop criminals, Weiss. Sun may steal, but that doesn't make him just as bad as the members of the White Fang."**

 **"The White Fang aren't bad," Blake said with a scowl as she frowned at Naruto.**

 **"They're not** ** _good_** **either." Naruto argued.**

"I think he's the most balanced between the two extremes." Pyrrha pointed out to Blake and Weiss.

 **He frowned at the girl he secretly knew to be a Faunus. "Their actions make them no better than the Fourth War. They want to get equality through fear, but that's not equality, that's just turning the tables. They've become what they hate and they don't even realize it."**

 **Blake frowned at him. "...They're misguided, not evil."**

Blake looked uncomfortable at how easily Naruto poked holes in such a heated topic.

 **"I never said they were evil. I said that Sun was not as bad as the members of the White Fang, who** ** _plan_** **attacks that will result in loss of life. Sun's called them crazy, and I don't believe that's right either." Naruto continued. "The members of the White Fang are angry and filled with bloodlust, whether its right or not is up for debate."**

 **"Not all of them are like that. Some just want equality for Faunus, even if they have to act drastically."**

 **"Why are you so adamant about defending them?" Weiss asked with a frown.**

 **"Why are you so intent on making them out to be evil?" Blake shot back.**

"Oh just make out already!" Blake and Weiss sent poisonous glares at Yang, who rolled her eyes. "What? It'd get you to stop acting like little kids in the sandbox."

The two girls were so caught up in glaring at Yang that they didn't notice when Pyrrha absentmindedly slapped Jaune upside the head. The blond boy had dazed off into a fantasy after Yang's announcement.

 **Penny tilted her head. "Are they friends?"**

 **"Yes," Ruby said. She grimaced as the two girls glared at one another. "I think."**

 **"If they are friends, why are they arguing?" Penny asked. "I thought that friends were honest and trusted each other. I would wish for my friends to agree with me, I would not want to argue with them."**

"That's called a clique." Yang educated. "They have a hive mind and stick that way well after school."

"Like jocks?" Jaune suggested.

"Yep! Spoiler warning: They ain't getting those glory years back!"

 **"Friends argue all the time." Haku interjected. He smiled at Penny when she looked at him. "To have a different opinion is to be sentient, and one truth that most, if not all, agree on is that freedom is the right to all sentient beings."**

 **"However, this subject is far more complicated for them." Naruto added. He gestured to Weiss as the two girls resumed their increasingly loud argument. "Weiss' family has not had good relations or interactions with any members of the White Fang, hence her heavy bias. Blake is a strong supporter of Faunus Rights and wants to see a world where humans and Faunus are equal. She also has given the White Fang the benefit of the doubt and hopes they will return to their old ways."**

 **"...How do you know that?" Yang asked.**

 **Naruto shrugged. "We've had some nice conversations when working on projects for Professor Oobleck.**

"Now that's got to be a hot debate." Yang grinned. Blake slapped her upside the head while Weiss glared at her.

"Ow! What?!"

"Too soon." The two girls simply answered.

 **Not going to lie, aside from Prof. O, he's my favorite teach."**

 **"...Isn't he, like, hopped up on coffee twenty-four seven?" Ruby asked.**

 **"Exactly! It's funny!" Naruto beamed.**

 **Penny had an inquisitive frown on her face. "So, they argue over different opinions, but they are still friends?"**

 **"Yes," Haku said. "Weiss and Blake have strong personalities that would keep them apart from each other initially if not for their team placement. However, time and interaction has made them close. This one argument will not separate them-"**

 **"Maybe** ** _we_** **were sick of being pushed around!"**

 **"...I think." Haku blinked in surprise at Blake's outburst.**

"You know what happens when you assume." Jaune shook his head. "You make an ass out of u and me."

 **Naruto rolled his eyes and interlaced his hands behind his head. "They'll be fine – Wow, I didn't know Blake had a speed Semblance like you, Ruby."**

 **"She...She's..." Weiss stuttered as she stared in shock at the bow in her hand.**

 **"She was a Faunus?" Yang and Ruby were also surprised by this, apparently, since their words were soft and their eyes were wide.**

 **Penny tilted her head. "You weren't aware?"**

 **"To be fair, humans aren't that smart," Naruto said with a smile. "People see what they want to see. Heck, I wouldn't have known Bell was a Faunus if Kurama hadn't told me when we first met her."**

"Thanks?" Blake was unsure how to respond to that one.

"...Did he just call us dumb?!" Weiss asked, outraged.

"Well, it is pretty obvious now that you look back on it," Yang said.

Ruby nodded. "Blake eats a _lot_ of tuna."

"And it all goes to the Bellabooty!"

"Shut up, Yang."

 **"You knew?!" The three girls on Team RWBY that were still present snapped their gaze to Naruto.**

 **Haku tilted his head. "I figured it out after she had tuna sandwiches three days in a row."**

 **"And Kurama confirmed it when you asked."**

 **"That, too."**

 **"...Why didn't you tell us?!" Weiss demanded as she stormed over to the leader of Team NHKS.**

 **Naruto arched a brow. "Why didn't you tell Ruby that you're the one who ate the last of her chocolate chip cookies and not Yang?"**

 **"That was you!?" "I told you I didn't do it!" The two sisters shouted, one in anger and the other in triumph.**

Ruby gasped in horror and sent Weiss a hurt look as she began to tear up.

"I trusted you!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Oh come off of it."

"You done goofed." Yang nodded solemnly.

 **Weiss glared daggers at Naruto. "...You read my d-journal?"**

 **"Yes, I read your diary." Naruto nodded proudly.**

"That-that-that hooligan!" Weiss had once more turned the shade of a cherry.

"Silence, Cookie Thief, or it'll be the stockades!"

"We have stockades?" Nora asked her friend softly. Ren shrugged.

 **He grinned at her. "I'm flattered you think my whisker marks are cute, by the way."**

"Aha! No wonder you're so adamant about telling me he's not real! You want him all for yourself!" Yang accused dramatically, a finger being pointed at Weiss.

"Are you kidding me!?" Weiss asked in outrage as she glared back at the girl. "He wrapped duct tape around my face, calls me by a bodily function, and read my diary! Why would I want to be with some-some miscreant like that!?"

"Um, he's a freaking stud? Has a great sense of humor? He has a big accessory for late night fun? Must I go on?"

"No!" Blake and Ruby cut in with frowns on their faces.

Yang huffed and sat down while Weiss looked away, her nose raised.

Ruby and Blake shared a groan. This wasn't going to be fun to deal with.

 **He shrugged and ignored the frosty glare that Weiss gave him. "But, the reason I and anyone on my team didn't tell you was simply because it wasn't my call. Bell hadn't decided to trust you with that secret yet, and with how you interact with Kurama, could you blame her?"**

 **Weiss pursed her lips but continued to glare at Naruto. She huffed and stormed off, a mildly miffed Ruby behind her.**

"Gonna shank you." Ruby whispered menacingly.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing."

 **Yang's smile fell slightly and she crossed her arms under her bust. "I can't believe she didn't tell us..."**

 **"We all have our secrets to keep, Yang." Haku mused. Yang nodded sadly and walked off after her other two teammates, giving Naruto and Haku a half-hearted goodbye wave. Haku blinked and looked around curiously as he realized something was off. "Where did Penny go?"**

 **"She ran off after Bell when I started to talk about Sneeze's diary," Naruto said nonchalantly, his hands behind his head as he looked up to the corner of a building and gave a small smirk as a golden tail ducked over the edge. He turned and started to walk towards Main Street. "Come on, Haku, we need to go find Kurama and Sasuke."**

 **"...Did you intentionally let Penny slip away when you made up that story about reading Weiss' diary?" Haku asked as he followed his teammate.**

 **"Story? Please, Haku, I've read** ** _all_** **the girls' diaries. Did you know Nora is actually allergic to dogs?"**

"Weird...I'm not. I love dogs!" Nora countered with a frown. "Poor other can never get that puppy dog love..."

"I hope Zwei doesn't cause her to have a reaction," Weiss said softly.

"Please, Zwei's a hippopotamus dog." Ruby waved off the concern.

"...A what?" Weiss and Blake asked.

"She means hypoallergenic," Yang said.

"Ohh..."

 **"...Naruto, why did you read their diaries?"**

 **"Meh, for the hell of it."**

 **"...Kurama wanted dirt, didn't he?" Haku drawled. Their Faunus friend was a** ** _huge_** **gossip and loved to broker information. He truly took to the fox heritage of a cruel trickster well.**

 **"Those are your words, not mine. Now, c'mon, let's go find the two jackasses. Knowing them, they're probably at an arcade or something."**

"So, that was interesting." Jaune supplied.

Ruby sent a glare at Weiss, surprising the girl.

"Seriously?" Weiss asked. She started to get unnerved when Ruby continued to glare at her. "I'll make you a new batch, I swear!"

"They better be double, no! Triple! Triple chocolate chip!"

"I promise!" Weiss cowered at the fearful Ruby. She really liked her cookies, huh?

* * *

 **Review!  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **VIII: Roman's Fangs**

"…That title is in poor taste." Blake frowned as the episode title card came on the screen.

"Man, this is dredging up all the bad emotions." Yang grumbled. She did not like the negative vibes going around the group lately.

 **A few days had passed since Blake had gone 'missing'. The first day no progress was made in finding her because Ruby, Yang and Weiss were still shocked at the revelation of their teammate being a secret Faunus and ex-White Fang member. And the second day was due to the lack of progress made on the first. Team JNPR offered to help with the search, but Weiss had refused them before Ruby could accept, and when Naruto, Sasuke, Kurama or Haku tried to offer their help, they were met with possibly the coldest shoulder ever.**

"Who put Weiss in charge of the search?" Blake asked dryly.

"Eh, heh, heh..." Ruby sheepishly poked her fingers together and tried to appear smaller. "She did."

"But _you're_ the leader!"

"…She was being scary." Ruby whimpered.

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, but didn't disagree.

 **The Schnee heiress had all but ignored Team NHKS since they had known Blake's secret, but had not told any of them. She felt it was a betrayal of sorts, even when Haku pointed out that the secret was Blake's to tell and not theirs. Weiss stubbornly refused to accept that as an answer and had all but began to pretend the all male team even existed. Her guard was high after Blake's secret of once being a member of the White Fang. It seemed that she hadn't taken the violation of her trust very well, which was something that Sasuke said he could understand.**

"Like it was _my_ fault we ended up on a team together?" Blake grumbled lowly to herself.

 **The other two members of Team RWBY hadn't spoken with the all-male team much either, save for at the Lunch Hall. Ruby's excuse was a bit understandable, since the youngest Huntress-in-training was more concerned with locating her wayward teammate. She had apologized for it and Naruto took it for what it was. He understood what the problem was for Ruby; her pride and confidence as a leader had taken a hard blow. Not only was she a good two years behind everyone in her class intellectually, but she was also lacking two years of experience and emotional maturity.**

"I'm mature!" Ruby pouted.

"Hey, look, cookies."

"Where!?" Ruby demanded at her sister's words, her head turned rapidly in a valiant effort to find the sweets she so adored. A second later, her mind managed to catch up with the situation and she glared at Yang. "That proves nothing!"

"Uh-huh, sure it doesn't." The blonde bombshell nodded in disbelief.

 **Yang was also a bit miffed at the boys for the secret, but she was being distant for some other reason. When asked by Sasuke, Kurama or Haku, Yang refused to give a straight answer. When Naruto asked, she would remain silent and ignore him. However, when they were in the same room, Naruto felt an angry gaze fall upon him. Seeing as he couldn't get an answer through Yang directly or through his teammates' attempts, Naruto just gave up on it and settled with taking the odd angry looks his fellow blond sent his way.**

"I don't get it." Jaune furrowed his brow.

"You have a lot to learn about girls, Jaune." Nora sighed. "Pyrrha, get on that."

"Wh-What? Why me?"

"You know why."

 **"There must be something we can do to help them," Haku said thoughtfully from where he was perched on the edge of a tall building. He and the rest of Team NHKS watched the three girls wander through Vale looking for the now known cat Faunus. Team NHKS had been following the three girls from a distance under Naruto's orders. The whiskered blond had a secretive smile when asked why and merely replied that he was bored. Besides, Weiss didn't want help, so pushing on the issue wouldn't be wise at all.**

"Because stalking isn't a crime." Weiss mumbled under her breath.

"It isn't? Huh, could've sworn it was..." Ruby mused, rubbing her chin.

Weiss palmed her face. She didn't know if Ruby was being genuinely naïve, or playing with her.

 **"I can sense her so I know she's alive, but this is a problem for Team RWBY to address." Kurama sat cross-legged to Haku's left, his cheek propped up by a bored fist. The Faunus adjusted his grip on Rikudo's monk staff form. "Schnee would rip our heads off if we tried to go help without permission."**

 **"Others cannot fix a broken team." Sasuke mused from where he stood next to the red-themed Faunus. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes stared down at the three girls. "It is something that must be done by the team itself. The most we can do is guide them down the right path."**

 **Haku sighed at the profound answer. "Sometimes I wish I had gone to Kon Academy. The team preparation there must have been amazing."**

"They are surprisingly and amazingly very close for such a short period of time to pass." Pyrrha agreed. It was wonderful to see. Then again, her own team was pretty close, but NHKS seemed even closer.

"They got lucky," Weiss said. "Three friends and one newcomer, it's not hard to join into a group when they're welcoming."

"Yeah, like me and Rubes," Yang said with a grin. "If she wasn't in town that night, she'd still be stuck at Signal with her friends instead of here with a bunch of older kids that she knows about a fraction of a tenth of."

"Wow, thanks for that reminder, Yang." Ruby mumbled.

"Anytime, sis!"

 **He looked to his left in surprise when the lounging form of his team leader burst into laughter. A chuckle escaped Sasuke and Kurama concealed his laughter as best he could while his shoulders shook. Looking between his three teammates, Haku blinked.**

 **"Am I mistaken?" he asked.**

 **"Yeah...It...You had to be there." Sasuke smiled lightly as their amusement dwindled away. "If anything, it was Kakashi who taught us the right way to work as a team."**

 **"Best. Teacher. Ever." Naruto grinned up at the sky and Kurama nodded.**

"Now I really want to see this Kakashi guy. He seems like a cool dude." Jaune smiled.

 **"'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are** ** _worse_** **than trash.'" The three Kon natives grinned as they recited one of their teacher's most well-known, and recited, quotes.**

"Wow, those are some heavy words." Ruby said as she reflected on them. "That's like something Ozpin would say."

 **"By that logic, wouldn't that make Blake worse than trash?" Haku asked. It was a beautiful line, really it was, but the philosophy didn't seem to fit the scenario.**

Blake nearly mewled miserably at that.

 **"She has not abandoned her team." Kurama explained as he sat up lightly. "She's afraid, and most Faunus react to fear instinctually. Prejudice among her friends isn't a foe she can fight, so she fell upon fear. She ran, and being the good friends they are, Ruby, Yang and, I can't believe I'm saying this, even Weiss is chasing her."**

"See, Weiss? Even Kurama knew you could do it!" Yang grinned at the white themed girl.

"Joy." Weiss rolled her eyes.

 **"They're reacting the same way we would if you decided to up and disappear on us," Sasuke said with a small smirk to Haku. "You can thank Kakashi for that if you meet him."**

 **"Like I said, Kakashi's the best teacher ever." Naruto reiterated.**

 **"I thought that was the Toad Sage?" Haku asked. Naruto shook his head with a smile plastered on his face.**

 **"No, he's my godfather. He just happened to train me on the side."**

 **"In what?" Haku asked. The whiskered blond's smile dwindled slightly.**

 **"...Stuff."**

"So misdirecting." Yang pouted, she wanted to know the stuff.

 **"You three are the most secretive friends I've ever had," Haku said with a sigh while Kurama and Sasuke smirked at his response. He had little to go by on their history and it felt like he was still putting the puzzle together one misshapen piece at a time. When Haku thought he had the whole picture, they went and threw a new piece into the mix.**

 **"Not like you've been that open with your past," Sasuke said knowingly. Haku's shoulders fell.**

 **"My past is where I would like to keep it, in the past." He muttered. Haku looked up when Naruto's hand fell on his shoulder and the whiskered teen smiled at him.**

"Does that make him the Blake of their group?" Nora asked aloud.

"I think so, they're both pretty." Yang winked at her partner.

"...Thank you, Yang." Blake sighed.

 **"And we respect your decision. There will be a time when you wish to tell us, and we will be more than willing to listen." Naruto reaffirmed his words with a comforting pat and Haku smiled at his partner.**

 **"You're a good friend, Naruto." Naruto beamed at the compliment, but it fell into a pout when Haku sighed. "It's a shame you're such an idiot."**

"I feel his pain." Weiss agreed with Haku.

Ruby felt mildly insulted and frowned at her teammate.

 **"Oi!" Naruto pulled his hand away and glared at his partner.**

 **"Indeed it is," Kurama said. He gave a sad sigh of his own despite the giant grin on his face. "In the field, he's either battle crazy or tactically unstoppable, but take him out of the field and his brain power drains to zero, leaving him stupid."**

 **Naruto's eye twitched. "I'm** ** _not_** **stupid!"**

 **"Even Coco can't stop that from happening." Sasuke gave a wistful sigh and placed his hand on his cheek. "Try as she might. Poor boy will never get himself a girlfriend at this rate."**

 **"I've had a girlfriend, dammit!"**

 **"It's so sad. All talk and no walk." Kurama shook his head. Naruto glared at his teammates.**

"Now that's the worse kind of guy." Yang snickered.

"Really?" Jaune asked, the gears in his head slowly beginning to turn.

"Oh yeah, you gotta be able to back yourself up, Jaune."

"Good to knew." The other blond hummed.

 **"You're ignoring me on purpose..."**

 **Haku looked at Sasuke with a small smile. "If only I had been partnered with you, Sasuke. Then I would not be forced to listen to him prattle on about various flavors of Ramen."**

 **"We feel your pain." Kurama sympathized with a pat on the shoulder.**

 **Sasuke shook his head. "It's gotta be all that salt that makes him so stupid."**

 **"Oh, that tears it! Oum's blessed Ramen is not to be insulted in my presence!" Naruto started to storm away while the three laughed. The blond grumbled furiously under his breath as he jumped down into a nearby alleyway. Kurama wiped a small tear from underneath his sunglasses once their team leader was gone.**

 **"Ah, that was fun." He sighed happily. "So, since the glutton isn't here, does anyone want to go get a bowl? My treat."**

 **"I'm in," Sasuke said. He rubbed his stomach. "We've been following the girls since breakfast. I'm starved."**

 **"I suppose a bowl wouldn't hurt." Haku shrugged. The three left the remnants of RWBY to their search as they sought out their lunch.**

"That's _evil_ ," Ruby said, horrified. If her team did that to her and cookies…there would be a bloodbath.

 **"Okay, so, while we agreed to go look at the place where the White Fang aren't supposed to be to prove they're doing things they aren't supposed to do in a different place they're not supposed to be...Ugh, my head hurts." Sun groaned after he finished that mouthful. He held his stomach. "Or that's just the tea I drank earlier settling. Anyway, I know we're supposed to be like, super sexy Faunus duo, but-"**

 **"We're not a super sexy Faunus duo." Blake cut in calmly as they walked through the city towards the warehouse district.**

"Really?" Yang blinked. "Because you two hit if off really well. I mean, you two look very sweet together."

"I don't need this commentary, Yang." Blake frowned, her cheeks pink.

"What? I'm just saying you could use more Sun in your life or you'll go pale!"

"…That was terrible." Blake groaned.

"Meh, I've been saving it."

 **She had poured her heart out to Sun after he had stalked her for a day and a half. Even after he'd learned about her past and involvement with the "crazy Faunus", he'd agreed to help her try to clear their name. Frankly, she thought he was a sweet guy. A bit eccentric, but concerning who her teammates and friends were, she could accept it.**

 **And... he had nice abs. But that was just a bonus. Really.**

Yang elbowed Blake. "So called it."

Blake refused to respond, but her cheeks darkened slightly.

 **Sun pouted at her before he sighed.**

 **"Right, right, okay." He conceded. Anyway...I may have...sort of...told-Naruto-what-we-were-planning."**

 **Blake stopped walking and glared at the blond Faunus.**

 **"You** ** _what_** **?"**

"He what?!" Blake gaped.

"Apparently he doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'covert'," Weiss said with a hum.

Blake palmed herself in the face.

 **"I...Told Naruto our plan?" Sun rubbed the back of his neck. Blake glared at him even harder and he held his hands up in defense. "Now hear me out. The little dude's known you were with me the whole time. He's got this...brain thing that rears its ugly head every now and again. Plus, he's a** ** _beast_** **on a battlefield if his messages to me about his Semblance are right."**

 **Blake had to concede to that point. Naruto did manage to hold off that massive Grimm Bull on his own during their initiation, and had been undefeated in every mock fight that he participated in among the first year Beacon students. That alone had to mean something. Then there was his stance on the White Fang, which fell alongside with Blake's own. Naruto didn't hold the White Fang in contempt like Weiss did (though looking back on it, Weiss' anger was understandable), he thought they needed to be redirected even if that meant using force.**

"Crack some skulls! Break them bones! Whoo!"

"You are such a fight junkie." Ruby sighed at her sister's cheering.

"I get bored." Yang shrugged. "Besides, I'm not as bad as Nora."

The two sisters turned to see the girl wearing a foam finger that had the number one on it.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Nora chanted. Ren calmly put her hand down and took the finger from her. The orange haired girl pouted, but was consoled by the soft promise of pancakes.

 **"Not to mention he's a great dude and I've been** ** _dying_** **to hang out with him." Sun added. He grinned widely and held his arms out. "What better way to bond with a bro than by investigating a warehouse district?"**

Jaune and Ren looked at each other with raised brows. They'd rather investigate an arcade.

 **"...Fine." Blake agreed after a moment of thought. Naruto** ** _was_** **Sun's friend long before either had met Blake and they'd barely managed to hang out or talk since they met on the docks. It was only natural that Sun would want to meet up with his pen pal over hanging out with her. Blake ignored the mild discomfort in her stomach as that logical reasoning went through her head.**

"The bromance trumps the romance sadly." Yang sighed out and Blake's eye twitched a bit.

 **"Really?! Awesome!" Sun cheered with his fists in the air. He grinned at his fellow Faunus. "Trust me, Blake, this'll be a good thing."**

 **"I sure hope so." Blake mumbled. She turned to continue walking and jumped when Naruto suddenly popped up in front of her.**

"How'd he do that?" Blake asked, slightly alarmed that he appeared out of nowhere.

 **"Yo!" The whiskered blond greeted the two Faunus with a two-fingered salute. Blake looked at him, then at an equally surprised, but intrigued Sun, and then back at with a frown.**

 **"How did you sneak up on us like that?" She asked. Naruto fell into an exaggerated martial arts stance.**

 **"I am a ninja! Fear my ninja-tude!" The whiskered blond declared, a mad grin on his face.**

"No way he's a ninja." Blake scoffed under her breath. She was way more a ninja than he was! "What kind of ninja wears orange?"

"What's wrong with orange?" Nora asked, glaring at the Faunus.

"Er, nothing, but–"

"Exactly! Besides, Ren's basically a ninja and he wears white."

"And green, and black, and a smidge of pink." Ren added with a small smirk. "It's not about what you wear, it's about how skilled you are. He snuck up on you _and_ Sun, two Faunus, wearing orange."

"...He's got you there, Blake." Ruby pointed out.

The cat-like Faunus huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

"Naruto got lucky, that's all."

"She was distracted by Sun's abs, and Sun was distracted by the glory of the Bellabooty."

"Gurk!" Blake choked on air and glared at Yang's simplified answer.

 **"...I'm going to regret agreeing to this." Blake mumbled as she walked past the blond human. Sun snickered while Naruto pouted. The monkey-tailed Faunus looked at his fellow blond with an arched brow and an amused smile.**

 **"Ninja-tude?"**

 **"You're just jealous you didn't come up with it first!" Naruto argued with a huff as he followed after Blake.**

 **"...Only a little," Sun said with a chuckle.**

"It is a cool phrase." Jaune nodded in agreement with his fellow male blonds.

"Catch-phrase material, for sure." Yang agreed.

 **He let his hands rest behind his head and his tail swished happily as he followed the two Beacon students. One was his longtime pen pal and the other was a cute Faunus girl.**

 **Life was good for Sun Wukong.**

"Blake, you've got to capitalize! He thinks you're cute!"

"I'll do things at my own pace, Yang."

 **"Ugh, I'm so** ** _bored_** **. I should've gone with Sun to get some food." Naruto groaned as he hung by the back of his knees from the neck of a crane while Sun and Blake staked out the shipyard from atop a nearby warehouse. They'd been at the shipyard for nearly six hours now and aside from the usual boring – to Naruto and Sun anyway – things that occurred on site, nothing much including criminal acts had happened. Heck, Naruto had even enough time to scale this eighty-foot tall shipping crane after Sun had scampered off to get some food.**

"Steak outs suck." Yang groaned, having done a few herself.

 **Naruto perked up at the sound of a Bullhead engine and looked to his left. Sure enough, there was a Bullhead with the symbol of the White Fang on the cargo doors. Naruto swung up to stand on the crane's neck and looked over apologetically towards Blake and Sun. From what he could see, Blake was not pleased with this development and Sun, well, he looked ready to jump down and put a stop to the operation.**

"And we do…sort of." Blake confessed, it wasn't her best moment with her old organization. It still stung how far they've gone now.

 **Five White Fang grunts, dressed in black and white armor with Creatures of Grimm masks on their faces underneath their helmets, stepped out of the Bullhead after it landed. They looked around and searched for any threats and just before Naruto was spotted by one, the end of a cigar flew out from the Bullhead's doorway and hit the disguised Faunus in the side of the head.**

 **"Stop wasting time, you animals! We have a very strict schedule to keep!" A man stepped out of the Bullhead with orange hair combed over the right side of his face and a bowler cap on his head. He wore a white coat and dark pants, but it was the cane that really sealed the deal.**

"My _nemesis_." Ruby glowered at the criminal

"Your nemesis?" Blake raised a brow.

"Yeah! He _stole_ Crescent Rose and tried to kill me…a lot!"

 ** _That's that Torchwick guy that's been all over the news._** **Naruto mused silently as his eyes narrowed. He blinked in surprise when Blake jumped down and rushed at the wanted fugitive.**

"Somewhat quick to the trigger, Blake." Pyrrha frowned, it was foolhardy to do that.

Blake frowned childishly, so she got a tad bit emotional. She lived, didn't she?

 **Naruto locked eyes with Sun, who shrugged at the questioning glance sent his way. The two blonds looked back up as more Bullheads flew into the area.**

 **"Oh, this will be fun!" Naruto grinned as he stood and faced the incoming forces. He clenched his hands into fists and slammed them together. The bulky forms of his gauntlets folded out over his hands and Naruto grinned. With his Storm Breakers ready, Naruto brought his arms to his sides and his skin gained a light golden glow as his Semblance drew upon more aura. "Five times boost should be enough. Time to crack some skulls!"**

"Finally! Action!" Nora grinned excitedly and everyone sat forward in their seats.

 **Naruto ran across the neck of the crane at the nearest Bullhead when its guns took aim down at Blake, who was in the process of fighting against Torchwick while Sun fought off the thief's goons. Once he reached the end of the crane's neck, Naruto jumped and pulled his right fist back. His grin was wide as he threw his punch and drove his fist into the hull of the nearest bullhead. His blow caved the metal in, a loud ear shattering squeal filled the air as the metal protested against his strike. Naruto's attack knocked the Bullhead into another, causing the two to collide and descend to the shipyard.**

 **Naruto landed on a container below and watched as the two Bullheads crashed to the shipyard's ground in a fiery explosion.**

"…Whoa." Jaune awed.

"I could do that," Yang said.

"I know." Ruby answered, her eyes wide. "Still, that's just crazy."

"Says the one who lifted up a Nevermore on a glyph trail." Weiss retorted.

"Uh, good point."

 **Naruto giggled gleefully while he watched the fires burn.**

 **"Explosions are so cool. Boom-boom." He let his gauntlets fold away with a grin on his face.**

 **"Get him!" Naruto looked over his shoulder at the cry. Several White Fang grunts aimed their automatic weapons at him, each nameless opponent had the same determined scowl on their face. Naruto held his hands up to shield his face when they started to open fire. The bullets tore through his clothes like a knife through butter, but bounced off of his skin like it was a wall. He would've laughed if it wasn't so annoying to be pelted over and over by the small ammunition. It was like being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes!**

"Can you do that with polarity?" Nora asked Pyrrha.

"Make a defensive coating against ammunition? Yes. Though Naruto's is probably far better and less taxing." The red haired warrior confessed.

 **By the time the grunts had run out of rounds in their clips, Naruto's jacket was ruined. The armor was either fractured beyond repair or chock full of bullets and the cloth was torn beyond the abilities of any tailor. He was pretty much wearing orange and black rags from the waist up. The bullets themselves looked like they had been fired at a wall of adamantium, caved inwards to the point that they looked like they were crafted incorrectly, and were piled around his feet nearly to his ankles.**

 **"...You guys are** ** _so_** **lucky that I have four more of these jackets." Naruto glowered at the four awestruck White Fang grunts.**

"You don't mess with a person's clothes." Yang wholeheartedly agreed with Naruto's anger. However, she was grateful that she got some on-screen candy to watch.

 **He dropped down from his place atop the container and landed in front of the grunts, a perturbed look on his face. He reached up and removed his necklace, carefully bundling it up before he placed the rings in a special slot on the heel of his boot. With his parents' rings safe from danger, Naruto then stood up and cracked his knuckles.**

 **"So," he said as his eyes looked over his four opponents. "Who wants to take the next shot?"**

 **The four exchanged looks before the one on the far left, furthest from Naruto, lifted his gun. A bullet left the barrel and nailed Naruto right in the forehead. Naruto's head tilted back slightly before he reached up and grabbed the bullet off of his forehead. Like the last attempts, this bullet was no longer of use to anyone. Naruto flicked it to the side and fixed his gaze on the one that shot at him.**

 **"Look at that," he said, a grin plastered on his face while he stared at the awestruck grunt. "We have a volunteer."**

"He's going in intensive care." Blake said sourly.

"That was a stupid idea. Poor fool got what he deserved," Weiss said with a huff.

 **Naruto quickly closed the distance between himself and the White Fang grunt that tried to shoot him in the head. He knocked the poor sod into the air with a single blow. The whiskered huntsman's hands lashed out and grabbed onto the grunt's ankle. He then turned and flung the winded Faunus at one of his companions. This sent the two extremists into the side of the container that Naruto previously stood on and they slumped down to the ground unconscious.**

"Did he just use a person like a projectile?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, he did. It was a good throw, actually." Pyrrha praised.

"Man, having super strength is insane." The blond mumbled.

 **The other two Faunus exchanged a look with each other. They grabbed the underside of their guns and pulled back on the grip. Naruto arched a brow when the duo of extremists were now armed with five feet-long broadswords that had the symbol of the White Fang carved into the side. They let out yells as they charged at Naruto with their swords over their heads.**

 **Naruto caught their attacks on the descent and he grinned when the two saw that the sharp edges of their blades did nothing to his palms' flesh.**

 **"In hindsight, you probably should've thought this through," Naruto said to the two White Fang members. He twisted his wrists and snapped the blades with ease. Naruto then grabbed a wrist of either Faunus. He twisted under his arms so that they collided with each other, their hands still in his grip. He then leapt up and over the two awkwardly hugging Faunus. When his feet touched the ground, his arms whipped the White Fang Grunts at the rising Grunts that either Sun or Blake had dealt with. The Grunts collided with wet thuds and went limp.**

"I wonder if people tossing is in the festival." Yang hummed thoughtfully.

"That's horrible." Ruby told her sister.

"But funny. Maybe with practice dummies?"

 **The thought of his two Faunus friends had Naruto turning around to locate them. Once he did, he watched them tag off with one another against Torchwick, doing an impressive job complimenting and covering each other. He blinked when a black shade appeared in a place where Blake once was and took a blow that was meant for her. It was similar to Blake in build and appearance, but more inky, like a dark shadow.**

 **"Whoa, cool Semblance."**

Blake preened at this, her Semblance was underestimated at times.

 **Naruto grinned when he saw that Torchwick visibly became frustrated at his inability to tell which black figure was the real one to strike. This forced the thief to remain on defense lest Blake's furious attack strategy got through.**

 **"Shadow clones, wish I had that ability. So many pranks could be done." Naruto wistfully dreamt of the ability to make a clone of himself. Heck, why just make one when he could have a dozen? Or a hundred? Maybe even a thousand? Or two!?**

"They aren't corporal." Blake shook her head. And she couldn't make that many, it would be way too broken if she could…though she could hope.

 **Those thoughts led to less than appropriate ones concerning acts of reproduction. A dopey grin quickly spread across Naruto's face.**

Blake and a lot of the others turned red at that. Yang tapped her chin.

"Well, can you do-."

Blake slapped a hand over Yang's mouth before she could even finish that sentence.

"No." she hissed out, her cheeks still burning.

 **Elsewhere, a tall white-haired man got busted for peeping in a women's locker room when he started to boisterously cry tears of joy. While he suffered the blows empowered by the wrath of righteous feminine fury, he could only smile proudly. When he was finally kicked out of the gym, the man limped over to the nearest park bench, sat down and grinned up at the sky.**

 ** _I'm so proud of you, Naruto. Truly, only a lecherous dream could've made me feel such pride!_**

"…That's probably his godfather." Ren confirmed.

"He's funny." Nora giggled.

"And he helped raise Naruto? It's worse than I thought." Weiss huffed.

 **The man giggled perversely and pulled out a notebook. He wrote in it eagerly as the pride he felt inspired a new scene. He would then be arrested for his public debauchery. The officers that arrested him were unnerved by his smile and his penchant for the occasional giggle. They were outright floored when the district attorney demanded he be released and all charges be dropped a few hours later.**

"B-But public indecency! Peeping! He's a pervert!" Weiss listed out the man's crimes. "Where was justice?!"

"Apparently, being bribed," Ren said with a sad sigh.

 **The district attorney would receive a limited edition of Ninjas of Love in the mail three weeks later, signed by the author, The Toad Sage.**

"No way!" Blake hissed under her breath. …Lucky bastard.

"Naruto was raised by the author of Ninjas of Love?!" Weiss groaned. "It keeps getting worse..."

Yang rubbed her chin. "I wonder if he learned –"

"Stop. Talking." Ruby pleaded, her face as red as her cloak.

 **Naruto shook his head to snap out of the pleasant daydream his godfather would applaud him for. There was time for that sort of thinking later!**

 **There was fight to be won now!**

 **His head clear, Naruto looked back at the fight between Torchwick, Blake and Sun. The two Faunus had the master thief on the ropes, and it looked like Torchwick was aware of it. Torchwick backed away to create distance between himself and the teens. His cane rose up and the end popped open.**

 **Naruto frowned and followed Torchwick's aim. His eyes went wide when he saw the shipping container that dangled above Blake and Sun's heads. One good shot was all it would take to snap the cable that kept the container suspended in the air, and it looked like Torchwick was counting on that to be the case.**

"And this is why you already gotta look up in a fight, you never know what's hanging over your head. Like a bird or something." Nora nodded in agreement.

"Birdie…" Ruby sniffled.

 **With this in mind, Naruto ran forward towards his friends when he realized the criminal's intention. As he neared his two Faunus allies, a few White Fang Grunts rose in front of him.**

 **Naruto, thinking on the fly of how to quickly deal with these peons without losing his momentum, clapped his hands together at his side. He let his arm swing out and put the three White Fang Grunts down for the night with a three-in-a-row clothesline. He used the momentum of his arm's swing to spin down, allowing him to slide on his knees to kneel between Blake and Sun.**

 **"Dodge this, freaks." Torchwick growled as he fired a bright red blast from his cane to take out the cable. The two Faunus dove out of the way of the falling container while Naruto stayed put and rose to his feet. He brought his arms up and managed to catch the oversized metal box before it crushed him. The whiskered blond grinned at the shocked criminal, whose awe was shared by Naruto's two friends.**

"Who wants to play catch? Torchwick does!" Ruby pointed gleefully at the criminal.

 **"Hey Torchwick!" Naruto called while he slightly adjusted his grip on the container.**

 **"No way..." The thief gaped at the sight of the glowing teenager holding the massive amount of steel over his head with ease. He swore that this sort of thing only happened in movies or books. Huntsmen and Huntresses – school kids especially! – were not supposed to be** ** _this_** **freaking weird!**

"We are not weird…" Weiss frowned. "We're just above the curve, is all."

"I think we're just awesome, but you know me. That's already in my blood." Yang shrugged with a smirk.

 **"I think you dropped something!" Naruto reared his arms back and then tossed the shipping container with a yell. "Here!"**

 **"Shit!" Torchwick exclaimed as he dove out of the way. The container loudly crashed into the ground where Torchwick once stood and broke the cement beneath it on the impact. Torchwick rolled out of his dive and used his cane to block a follow-up attack from one of Sun's nunchaku – whether it was Ruyi Bang or Jingu Bang, Naruto wasn't sure. Torchwick tilted his head to avoid the following blast that came from Sun's weapon and knocked the monkey-like Faunus to the side with a hard swing of his cane. The thief got to his feet and reached into his pocket to pull out a small device.**

 **"You stupid, filthy bastard excuse of a house pet! Get your ass over here and help me! I have a few strays that need to be put down!" Torchwick snarled into the communication device.**

"That was racist." Blake scowled, why in the world would the White Fang take that?

 **He pocketed it and lifted his cane to catch both Blake's sword and bladed sheath when she tried to get a sneak attack on him.**

 **"Nice try, kitty-cat, but you should've walked away when you had a chance." Torchwick smirked at the glaring girl.**

 **"Never." Blake growled as Sun rushed up from behind her to deliver a flying kick to Torchwick's chest. The criminal stumbled back, but quickly recovered and dodged Naruto's descending stomp that managed to leave cracks in the ground.**

 **"Blake!"**

"Here I come to save the day~!"

"Didn't you get blown off the roof?" Blake asked her leader.

"…I still came to help." Ruby stated sternly.

 **The cry from a familiar voice made the four combatants turn to see Ruby standing on the roof of the warehouse Blake and Sun were perched on earlier. Blake's eyes grew wide in surprise and concern.**

 **"Ruby?" she asked. Sun and Naruto exchanged quick looks before they returned their attention to Torchwick.**

 **"Oh, hey Red!" Torchwick called with a smirk on his face. "Aren't you out past your bedtime?"**

"My bed time is eleven o'clock thank you very much!"

"Ten-fifteen." Yang interjected.

"…My bedtime is ten-fifteen, thank you very much!" Ruby corrected herself.

 **Ruby was distracted by something behind her, so she failed to see Torchwick raise his cane and fire off a large blast from his cane. The shot hit the young team leader and the criminal let out a gleeful cackle. Naruto was concerned for both Ruby and, oddly enough, a little bit for Torchwick. The thief had taken a bit too much joy in making that shot. Something had snapped and part of Naruto wanted to know what.**

 **"Ruby!" Blake cried out. Her amber eyes slit and she leapt at Torchwick with a murderous gleam in her eyes. She was going to carve the criminal's innards out with her bare claws if needed.**

"Aw, you'd murder for Ruby? Best partner ever." Yang smiled fondly at Blake.

"No problem."

 **Dirty blows like that were part of the reason Blake had left the White Fang. While Sun charged in to back Blake up, Naruto turned towards the ocean as three more Bullheads made their way towards the shipyard.**

 **"Oh, come on!" Naruto groaned when the doors opened to reveal more White Fang Grunts armed to the teeth. They dropped down from the Bullheads and started to fire at the three teens. Blake and Sun were forced to seek cover and Naruto ignored the bullets pelting his body as he turned to a nearby container. He grabbed onto the metal doors. The doors let out an ear-piercing squeal as he ripped them off their hinges. Naruto used the container doors as makeshift shields from the bullets while he made his way over to Sun and Blake's position behind a concrete barrier.**

 **"Some metal shield for ze lovely couple? Compliment of ze ouse for a wonderful first night out," Naruto said as he drove the metal doors into the ground so they would not fall. Blake gave him a look of mild annoyance, but said nothing as the warped metal protected them from the hail of bullets while Sun grinned and gave him a thumbs' up in gratitude.**

"Isn't it romantic?" Nora sighed out.

"Just get a violin and some candles." Ren agreed with a chuckle

 **Any other words that were about to come out of their mouths died on the tips of their tongues as Penny, the strange girl they'd met a few days ago, dropped down with blades hovering behind her back. She used the blades to decimate the forces of the White Fang with ease. They watched Penny plow through what had to be at least thirty Grunts lined up and firing at her. The ginger haired girl ignored their bullets and continued to utterly thrash the Faunus.**

"Wow, she's gonna be a contender." Jaune gulped.

Pyrrha looked very interested at Penny's fighting style.

 **Their jaws dropped when the orange haired girl used two blades to pull herself back to the warehouse. The blades imbedded in the warehouse wall acted as anchors while the rest of Penny's weapons began to circle rapidly in front of her extended palms. A green orb about the size of a medicine ball grew between the circling swords and Penny pulled her fists back. Her eyes narrowed as she thrust her fists forward and green orb became a massive green beam at two of the Bullheads. One was sliced down middle and exploded midair while the other lost a wing and impacted with the ground.**

"What was _that_?!" Jaune screamed. He pointed at the screen frantically. "That's _not_ normal! That's not even _our_ normal! That's, like, science-fiction _ab_ normal!"

"Penny's ...sort of really tough." Ruby laughed awkwardly. She couldn't just tell them Penny was a robot, it was a secret.

 **The last Bullhead turned to flee, but it looked like Penny wasn't in the mood to let them run. Penny 'threw' her swords at the retreating Bullhead, where they impaled the hull with ease. Penny wrapped her hands around something, and under a closer look, Naruto saw wires. The oddball girl he'd met a few days prior yanked on the wires hard. The Bullhead was pulled down from the air and skid along the ground.**

"Now _that_ I can't do." Yang mumbled with wide eyes.

Weiss was just gaping at the display of power.

Jaune was right, how were they supposed to fight _that_?

 **Penny recalled her swords and smiled proudly as the Bullhead exploded in a blaze of fire.**

 **"...Whoa." Sun's awe was shared by both Naruto and Blake as the three stared wide-eyed at the girl. She didn't even look tired!**

 **"I like her." Naruto grinned as the Bullhead exploded on impact. He kicked the two metal doors down and scowled when he saw Torchwick climb onto another Bullhead that quickly flew off.**

 **"Damn, there he goes-" Naruto cut off as a loud bang drew his attention away from Torchwick's retreat.**

"Oh, what now?" Weiss complained, Torchwick fled, the day was won, sort of. What else could go wrong?

 **A shipping container flew at Penny and the girl raised her hands to stop it. She was carried off when the container's momentum won out - though she made an impressive indent in the metal box in her effort - and the three teens were forced to duck lest the container take their heads off as it flew past. The shipping container and Penny were driven through the warehouse wall, creating a large cloud of smoke as they did as well as a loud crash. Naruto, Sun and Blake rushed from their cover over to Penny when she climbed out of the hole and dusted herself off. Ruby dropped down from above and looked her friend over.**

 **"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, turning her new friend this way and that.**

 **"Don't worry, Ruby. I told you before, I'm combat ready!" Penny smiled widely at the girl. She hiccuped and covered her mouth with an apologetic look in her eyes.**

"That's adorable." Weiss admitted with a small smile., what a cute little hiccup.

 **"Still, what the heck caused that – Incoming!" Sun cried out as he tackled Blake to the side when he noticed another container flying at them. Ruby did the same for Penny while Naruto ran at the approaching container. He ducked his head down and brought his arms up over his face as he intercepted the flying metal box with a rough shoulder check. The container caved inwards with a loud screech when it collided with Naruto's slightly glowing body and dropped to the ground as it was immediately stopped.**

"Man he should join some of the sport clubs." Jaune said in amazement.

"Don't they ban Semblances?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, but still…that was one heck of a check!"

 **"Okay...that smarted..." Naruto grunted as he pulled himself from the caved in shipping container. He hopped onto it and glared at the person that was approaching them from the direction that the containers had come from.**

 **It was a man that easily stood at a whopping six and a half feet. The man was built like a freaking tanker, his bare chest easily three times as wide as Naruto. Muscles rippled with each step he took. His hair was a wild and long dark brown that cascaded out from his head like a lion's mane and his eyes were crazed gold. Tattooed into his massive left pectoral was the insignia for the White Fang.**

 **"Belladonna!" The man's voice called out and echoed through the night. "You've been a bad kitty!"**

"Friend?" Weiss asked.

"Hell no." Blake hissed, a scared look in her eyes. "Not with that lunatic."

 **Eyes turned to Blake, who had a horrified gaze locked on the newcomer.**

 **"Blake? Who is this guy?" Ruby asked softly as she prepared Crescent Rose for a fight. Likewise, Sun brought Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang together in their pole form while Penny twitched when she tried to get up. Ruby pushed the girl back down with a frown. "Penny, stay put."**

 **"B-But I am combat ready!" The orange haired girl protested. She hiccuped again.**

Ruby gained a worried look, Penny was hard to take down.

 **"You were just attacked by a shipping container, you can sit this one out, kiddo," Sun said to her before he looked at Blake. "So...I take it this guy was someone you were close to in the Fang?"**

 **"Not even in the slightest." Blake had a sour look on her face at the thought. She drew her weapons and glared at the smirking Faunus that approached them. "His name is Shinnō and he's the White Fang's enforcer."**

 **"I'm the second lieutenant now," Shinnō said proudly. He lifted his knuckles up and cracked them. "And guess what? Boss man doesn't want you back anymore, since you've become such a human lover and betrayed him on the train. You're officially free game, and I've been dying to pound another pussy."**

"…And just like that, it got creepy." Weiss frowned. "How disgusting. And this is the rabble you were around? I can see why you left."

"Thank you for your opinion, Weiss," Blake said dryly.

 **Blake glared at him and lifted her blade. Sun and Ruby stepped up beside her with their weapons at the ready. Naruto jumped down and landed in front of the man before he could take another step.**

 **"You're not hurting my friends." Naruto informed the giant. Shinnō's head flew back and he barked out a laugh.**

 **"How adorable, you left us and found yourself some meat shields!" Shinnō smirked at Blake and raised his hand over his shoulder. The hand balled up and swung out. Naruto's head was snapped to the side and he was sent flying back. He made a matching hole next to the one Penny had made moments before. The smoke from Naruto's impact with the warehouse wall cleared and a brick fell to the ground.**

 **A beat of silence passed before Ruby nervously looked to a pale Blake.**

 **"Um, so, what can he do?"**

"Besides punch the heavy hitter through a building?" Nora asked.

"It's kinda obvious when you put it like that." Ruby said.

"No, it was obvious when he backhanded Naruto through a wall."

 **"He can increase his strength to five times above average." Blake swallowed and clenched her sheath and katana, Gambol Shroud, tightly. But could you blame her? She knew Shinnō was strong, but to see him backhand the class powerhouse through a building was a bit nerve wracking.**

"No, it's very nerve wracking." Nora affirmed. She gestured at the screen. "Why aren't you guys making a big deal of it? He's a _tough_ jerk!"

"Because we want some sense of hope." Blake told her.

"Ohh." Nora nodded. "Got it."

 **"Ten." Shinnō's smile rose as he vanished in a blur and reappeared in front of the three teens. "It's** ** _ten_** **times now. I divert my aura throughout my body to increase the strength of every cell within. I run faster, jump higher, and, most importantly, hit** ** _harder_** **."**

 **"Get away from my friend!" Penny called out as she sent one of her blades at the Faunus enforcer's head. Shinnō lifted his hand up and caught the blade before it could make contact with his skin.**

"Good try, Penny." Ruby cheered a little, though her voice wavered as she did so.

 **"Cute." Shinnō crushed the metal in his hand and let it drop to the ground. He tilted his head to the side when Sun hit him with his staff. Shinnō looked the monkey-tailed boy over and grinned at him. "Well, well, well...you move on so fast, Belladonna. I never thought of you as a loose pussy."**

Blake looked thunderous at this, gritting her teeth. The cat jokes got really old, fast.

 **"Don't talk about my friend that way!" Ruby cried out as she swung the blunt end of her scythe at the massive Faunus. Shinnō's head turned sideways as he had yet to move Sun's staff from his head. His grin was still present and a chuckle escaped his lips.**

 **"All so eager to get killed!" Shinnō grabbed the pole-like weapons and yanked them in, causing the two wielding the weapons to be brought close together. Shinnō released their weapons and grabbed them by their heads before he slammed the two into the ground with a smile on his face. The smile left his face as a cut appeared on his cheek from Blake's sword. Shinnō reached out and grabbed Blake by her throat before he lifted her off the ground. Blake's eyes went wide as the small nick healed.**

 **"I was going to enjoy you before I killed you, but it seems like doing so would be a hazard for my health." Shinnō tightened his grip on Blake's throat and her hands clutched at his fingers, her weapons clattered on the ground as she struggled for air.**

"Um, help, please." Blake grimaced at the sight. She liked air thank you very much.

 **"I told you that you're** ** _not_** **hurting** ** _my_** **friends!"**

 **Shinnō arched one of his massive eyebrows up when a glow came from the hole that he'd sent the whiskered teen through moments before. A new hole was made directly in front of him when the boy burst through the warehouse's wall and his right fist barreled into Shinnō's cheek. The blow sent Shinnō flying through many shipping containers like they were made of sticks and twigs instead of steel.**

 **Freed from Shinnō's unbelievably tight grasp, Blake fell to the ground and Naruto landed beside her.**

"Well, that's talking about quality service." Yang whistled.

"Seriously, I'm the only normal person around here." Jaune muttered. That was insane!

 **Blake coughed harshly and gasped for air once she pushed herself to her hands and knees. With watery eyes, caused by all sorts of factors, Blake looked up at Naruto gratefully and few differences to his appearance. A thin, faint red line of blood poured from the right corner of his mouth to the end of his jaw, but that was the only sign that Naruto had taken any damage. Well, the blood was all she could make out due to the contrast the color had with his definitely glowing golden skin. It wasn't a light hue like before, and instead was like a full blown beacon of golden light. Naruto's eyes, now a blinding gold instead of deep blue, met her amber orbs.**

"He's got the touch." Ruby sang softly.

"He's got the power~!" Yang followed.

"Yeah!" the sisters cheered.

 **"Are you alright, Bell?"**

 **Blake coughed once more and nodded while she rubbed her throat.**

 **"Good." Naruto gave her a small smile. It would've made her blush if not for the fact Blake was still trying to breathe properly.**

"Hey, let me have him for a while, then maybe I'll share."

Blake burned red at the suggestion.

 **That and the small trail of blood was a bit off putting. Naruto looked back to where he launched Shinnō and his smile fell while his eyes flashed.**

 **"Keep the others back. It's been a while since I've fought someone who could make me bleed."**

"That's not ominous." Ren quipped.

 **Before Blake could ask what he meant, Naruto pushed down on one foot and shot forward. The ground he drove his foot into had crumpled and formed a small crater. Blake stared at it for a moment with her hand still around her neck. What the heck kind of Semblance did** ** _that_** **?**

"A seriously broken one." Blake told her other.

"Don't all Semblances do that?" Ruby asked. "Each is broken in their own special way. Like Pyrrha and poles."

"It's polarity you dunderhead!" Weiss groaned at her partner.

"Right, that's I said."

Weiss palmed her face. She had to be doing it on purpose.

 **A moment later, Haku appeared beside her in one of his mirrors. He helped Ruby sit up while Kurama and Sasuke dropped down from the roof of the warehouse. Sasuke assisted Sun and Kurama went over to pick up Penny.**

 **"Wow, kid, what's got you so stiff?" Kurama asked as he picked the girl up.**

 **Penny tilted her head. "I believe that I am running at sixty-three percent efficiency after Ruby tackled me to the ground."**

"Uhhh…" Ruby struggled with her words. Penny really needed to work on the down low of her robot self.

 **"...Uh-huh..." Kurama mumbled before he carried her over to rest by the others.**

 **"Ruby has a small concussion and Sun managed to flare his aura before he hit the ground," Haku said as he looked up from where he knelt at Blake's side to check her throat. He smiled at the cat Faunus. "You certainly didn't want to make not worrying about you easy, did you?"**

"That's the thrill of the chase." Yang shrugged.

"But we really missed the action," Weiss pursed her lips, somewhat upset to be on the sidelines of that battle.

 **Blake looked down in slight shame. The injuries her friends suffered all could have been avoided if she hadn't run away like that. She looked up when Sun put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a grin.**

 **"He was joking, Blake." Sun chuckled. He looked towards the direction that Naruto had run off. "Will the little dude be alright?"**

 **"Like he said, it's been a while since he's fought someone that could make him bleed when he was using the Will of Fire." Sasuke shook his head. "Kakashi would have him doing D-ranks for months."**

 **"Oh yeah." Kurama agreed with a nod.**

 **"What are you talking about?" Blake asked with a hoarse voice. "What's a Will of Fire? How did you know-?"**

"He knows all! For he is the man in red~" Nora said using a spooky voice.

"Stop that," Weiss scowled.

 **"That you were here? I felt a surge of Aura over this way." Kurama cut in quickly while he checked Penny's aura. He gave the ginger girl a strange look and hummed thoughtfully. "You're a strange girl, kid."**

 **"Is that bad?" Penny asked.**

 **"...No, just different."**

"Very different." Ruby agreed.

 **"Naruto's Semblance," Haku said as he reached into his sash and pulled out a small canteen. "Here, drink some water, it will help soothe the soreness in your throat."**

 **Blake took a drink and then looked over towards the two fighting beings. "What does his semblance have to do with anything?"**

 **"Naruto's Semblance, dubbed the Will of Fire, is powered by Naruto's will. His Aura reserves are nearly as endless as my own," Kurama said. "We have abnormally large reserves and as such, our Semblance are very unique. My Sensory is nearly unmatched and Transfer makes me a deadly opponent, since I can drain someone's reserves to absolutely nothing. Naruto's Will of Fire, however, well...I'd rather have to fight myself than fight him."**

"So he gets stronger via willpower…that sounds like a comic book hero." Ruby knitted her brow.

"...Ruby, you have _super-speed_." Jaune pointed out.

"Yeah, so?"

Jaune palmed his face.

 **"You got in a lucky shot." Shinnō snarled as he caught Naruto's punch in his hand. He pulled the boy in and drilled his knee into Naruto's gut. The whiskered teen gasped and stumbled back, his defense down as he tried to regain air. Naruto took a punch to the head that sent him tumbling along the ground before he started to rise. He was currently fighting with eight times his normal strength and durability, but Shinnō's dense cells were hard to keep damaged. Every counter that the Faunus got in gave him time to heal from a blow Naruto had dealt.**

 **At least now Naruto knew why his classmates felt so annoyed or irritated when they sparred with him.**

"I can hear my other complaining, right now." Jaune agreed.

 **Well, that combined with the pranks he pulled on them usually caused them irritation anyway.**

 **"This is pointless, boy! You got in one good shot, but you can't win," Shinnō said as he glared at the whiskered brat that had dared to defy him. The lion-like Faunus spread his arms. "I am the perfect warrior! You cannot defeat me."**

 **"Maybe not...But I won't stop...until I know my friends are safe..." Naruto grit out as he held his cracked – if not broken – ribs and glared at Shinnō's golden eyes with his own. He grit his teeth and let out a yell as he charged at the Faunus with his hand brought back.**

 **Shinnō shook his head and delivered a barrage of blows to the blond, finished with a roundhouse kick that sent Naruto soaring through a shipping container.**

"Man, come on! Toss some blows back!" Yang hollered.

 **Shinnō lowered his leg and walked over to the boy as he started to get up. With a snarl, Shinnō lifted a foot up and slammed it down into Naruto's back.**

 **"I will kill you, boy. It is in your best interest to stay down." Shinnō warned the young teen. "I will make it quick and painless if you do."**

 **Naruto grit his teeth and pushed himself up despite the weight on his back. Shinnō smirked and punted Naruto in the side, knocking him into a container. As Naruto stumbled off, Shinnō appeared before him and grabbed the boy by his throat.**

 **"I am only here for Belladonna, and as far as we know, she isn't even on your team. Why do you fight so hard for a criminal that isn't on your team?" Shinnō asked out of genuine curiosity.**

 **"B-Because...She's my friend..." Naruto grit out as he glared through one eye at the Faunus.**

"That's real sweet, how he's getting beat up for you." Yang pouted.

"Jealous?" Blake asked in a bit of amusement.

"Well, a little." The blonde confessed.

 **His eyes squeezed shut as Shinnō lifted him up and drove him head first into the ground.**

 **"Then, you are a fool!" Shinnō exclaimed as he grabbed the boy by his ankle and whipped him over at another container. The metal creaked in protest as it folded inward from Naruto being thrown into it. Shinnō smirked and, figuring that was enough, turned to walk back over to his intended target.**

 **The sound of metal creaking accompanied the groan of a young man made Shinnō stop and look back to see Naruto push himself from the container and land on the ground. The whiskered blond rose from the ground shakily and limped towards Shinnō with a determined glint in his golden eyes. His hair started to flicker and blow in a non-existent wind as it started to glow with aura.**

 **"Leave...my friends...alone..." Naruto grunted out as he limped towards the Faunus.**

"I'd sit down and let the authorities deal with this one." Pyrrha frowned, the boy looked ready to fall dead on his feet.

 **"You stupid boy. I was willing to let you live, but you leave me no choice." Shinnō shook his head as he walked back towards Naruto and flicked his fingers out, allowing claws to extend over his fingernails. He stood in front of Naruto, grinned and straightened his hand before he pulled it back.**

 **"Now do something useful and die so I can go kill those other brats!"**

 **The clawed hand was thrust forward like a missile.**

 **Naruto's left hand shot up and caught Shinnō's wrist in a vice-like grip.**

"Uh, how'd he do that?" Ruby asked.

"Will power."

"That's so silly sounding." Ruby mumbled at her sister's answer.

 **The whiskered blond's hair burned with aura and his eyes flew open.**

 **The ocular organs were a solid gold that glared at the shocked Shinnō's cat-like eyes.**

 **Naruto's hand tightened and Shinnō's wrist snapped. Shinnō roared with pain and threw a punch with his other hand. Naruto caught the attack and squeezed. A sickening crunch filled the air as he broke the Faunus' hand. Shinnō dropped to his knees as he let out another pain-filled bellow.**

"Hurts? Doesn't it?" Blake dished out, eerily happy at the sight.

 **Naruto released the useless hands and stepped back while Shinnō shuddered with anger and pain.**

 **"You little brat...I'll** ** _kill_** **you!" Shinnō snarled, his eyes slitted as he got back to his feet. His hands slowly flexed and his eyes winced as he tried to form a fist.**

 **Naruto avoided the overhand chop and drove his elbow into Shinnō's side. Ribs cracked and Shinnō let out another roar of pain. Naruto ignored the Faunus' pain as he dropped to a knee and imbedded his fist into Shinnō's gut. The golden Huntsman-in-training felt no sympathy or pity for the one that threatened and harmed his friends.**

 **All he felt was vindication in his actions and a desire - no, a** ** _need_** **to be as ruthless as possible. This was a point Naruto needed to drive home here and now.**

"I'm going to wager this is some sort of psychosis of Naruto's. One that obviously pushes him to such levels." Pyrrha broke down as she observed the scene critically.

 **The whiskered blond pulled his fist back as his beefcake of an opponent doubled over. Naruto dropped to his back and his fist flew up to strike the Faunus hard in the chin. Shinnō's head snapped back and a tooth flew out of his mouth. Shinnō's right leg planted itself firmly in the ground so that he wouldn't go flying.**

 **The Faunus looked down just in time to see Naruto spin from his back into a low sweep that would've knocked him off of his feet. Shinnō jumped up over the sweep kick and smirked. The smirk fell into a look of shock when Naruto quickly twisted around on his hands and delivered a powerful mule kick that sent Shinnō into the air like a rocket.**

"See? See?! I told you breakdance fighting was a thing!"

"We are not going to work on our dance moves, Yang!" Ruby scolded her sister, "We took a vote on this at the Saturday night team meeting!"

"That vote was rigged!" Yang protested.

 **Naruto twisted back to his feet and then jumped up after the Faunus. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he brought his right fist down.**

 **"Up!"**

 **Naruto's right fist struck Shinnō's stomach, launching the Faunus into the clouds.**

 **"** ** _Up_** **!"**

 **The left fist replaced the right as Shinnō doubled over and coughed up blood.**

 **"Down!"**

 **A punch to the back of the head made Shinnō spin in the air and start to descend.**

 **"** ** _Down_** **!"**

"And we know the rest." Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "Why do attacks need to be announced? It was so not tactical."

"Well, maybe it's to keep him focused," Ren said thoughtfully. "He did just get his butt handed to him a few minutes before his semblance flared up to a new level of hacks, so maybe he's a bit delirious."

"...That makes far too much sense."

 **Another downward punch sent Shinnō back towards Vale, Naruto descended after him and brought his left fist back.**

 **"Left!"**

 **Shinnō's head turned to the left as a punch struck him in the cheek.**

 **"Right!"**

 **Shinnō's head turned right and a canine flew out of his mouth.**

 **"Left!"**

 **Three teeth were forcibly removed as they neared the ground.**

 **"Right!"**

 **Naruto dislocated the Faunus' jaw.**

 **"Backhand!"**

"Oh, get on with it!" Weiss groaned.

"Hey, don't diss the combo." Jaune sternly told the heiress.

 **Shinnō started to spin as he descended towards the ground.**

 **"And...Hammer Shot!"**

 **Feet before they hit the ground, Naruto's hands intertwined over his head and were swung down. Shinnō's body collided with the cement with a loud bang and smoke shot up in a cloud. When it cleared, Shinnō was in the center of a crater that was ten feet deep, his body stuck in the ground and his eyes barely open as he struggled to remain conscious.**

 **Naruto stood over him, his hair flickered like a flame and his eyes narrowed as he glared down at the Faunus extremist.**

 **"It's assholes like you that give Faunus a bad name," he said to the barely conscious Faunus. "I don't know if you'll stay in prison long or if you'll still be here by the police arrive, but when you see your bosses again tell them that you** ** _lost_** **to a** ** _human_** **. Tell them that you** ** _failed_** **to kill a** ** _teenager_** **. Tell them that I'm** ** _not_** **afraid of them and I** ** _will_** **be waiting for them to try something stupid. Tell them that my name is Naruto Uzumaki and if they want to hurt** ** _any_** **of my friends, they have to go through me first. And believe me, pal, if they get through me, they're** ** _not_** **going to make it to a hospital. That's a promise."**

"And cue epic badass horns." Yang said, playing the air horn app a few times on her Scroll.

 **Naruto left Shinnō in the crater with a scowl on his face. He stopped at the edge and turned back to the unconscious Faunus.**

 **"You should count yourself lucky that I need to send a message and that I'm not a criminal like you. If I were, your head would be the message. And it would be mailed in a box."**

"And it suddenly got a little dark." Ruby murmured.

"Not that dark," Blake shrugged. She did agree with Naruto to a certain point.

 **Naruto returned to his friends' side of the shipyard. Once his Semblance had dropped back to the base setting, he realized that bones ached and his muscles protested any movement, but he continued to stand well until after the Vale police had arrived. Many if not all of the White Fang grunts were arrested and, as Naruto thought, Shinnō got away.**

"How? Did he crawl into the water?" Weiss mocked. "And I thought cat's hated water."

"That's stereotyping." Blake frowned. She personally enjoyed the occasional bath.

 **Penny had vanished among the confusion, which worried Ruby until Kurama had reassured her that the odd girl was fine.**

 **"Blake!" The group looked up as Yang and Weiss walked up to them. Yang had a smile on her face at seeing her partner again. That smile fell as she realized Ruby had several bandages around her head and Naruto's clothes looked like they'd gone through a meat grinder. Blake and Sun also looked a bit scuffed up, but not as badly as the other two. Yang rushed over to her sister first and began to examine her like a mother hen. Ruby managed to get past her sister and stood between Blake and Weiss.**

"You should be sitting down," Yang frowned at Ruby.

"I gotta do my leader job first."

"Not if you have a concussion!"

Ruby pouted at Yang's mother hen nature towards her.

 **"Weiss, Blake explained everything and she's really sorry that she lied, and-!" Ruby's rambling was silenced by her partner's raised hand as she walked past her to Blake and looked at her cat ears. Weiss' eyes dropped down to meet Blake's.**

 **"Do you know how long we've been looking for you?" Weiss' voice was cold as she spoke. Blake looked down and rubbed her arm as Weiss continued. "Twelve hours.** ** _Twelve._** **Hours. And do you know what I did in those twelve hours? I thought. I thought long and hard about what you told me. About what you told us. And you know what I realized?"**

 **"Weiss, I-"**

 **"I. Don't. Care." Blake looked at the Schnee heiress in mild shock. Weiss crossed her arms. "You say you were part of the White Fang, that you're a Faunus, fine. Whatever. That's not who you are** ** _now_** **. You're a part of Team RWBY, and I realized I was more hurt that you didn't trust us with this secret than I was over the secret itself."**

"It did sting." Weiss nodded, "We've been rooming for a while, and as should have figured things out on our own, you should have just been up front about it."

Blake smiled, "Thank you, again."

"No problem."

 **"Weiss, about the White Fang, you-" Blake tried again.**

 **"Ah, ah, ah." Weiss raised her hand. "I don't care. I don't want to hear it. I just want you to know, next time something like this comes up...I hope you trust** ** _us_** **to help you." Weiss took a moment to direct her glare at Sun. "And** ** _not_** **some no-good, rapscallion of a thief."**

"And all the warm fuzzes are gone, just when I thought she wasn't an ice queen."

"I'm not!" Weiss squawked at Yang.

"Relax, just teasing you."

 **Sun chuckled weakly before he pointed at Naruto.**

 **"He helped!"**

 **"Oi! Dude!" Naruto squawked in outrage. He just fought a literal beefcake and probably broke at least five or six bones! He was so going to be sore tonight.**

 **"Speaking of which." Yang looked at Naruto with her hands on her hips. "What the Hell happened to you, Whisker Boy?"**

 **"No more cold shoulder? Cool." Naruto grinned weakly when she chuckled at his pun. "Met a guy who could make me sore in all the wrong ways."**

 **"You poor baby. Do you need a kiss to make it better?" Yang asked with a small smile.**

"That sounds like a great idea other me," Yang nodded with her other's idea.

 **"I wouldn't be opposed to it." Naruto chuckled at his joke and then winced in mild pain. His eyes shot open wide as a pair of lips pressed against his. Ruby and Weiss' jaws dropped while Blake's eyebrow quirked upwards. Sun grinned and gave Naruto a thumbs' up of approval as the whiskered blond was released from the kiss.**

"Yes, and now he is mine." Yang wrung her hands with a smile of victory.

"Well, Naruto's boned."

"Ruby!" Pyrrha chided.

"She's not wrong," Yang said with a grin. "Sooner or later, he's boned."

"...You're disgusting." Weiss glowered at the blonde.

"I know what I like and what I want."

 **"That was for helping my sister and my partner," Yang said as she traced one of Naruto's whisker marks before she turned to her teammates with a smile. "Let's go back to Beacon and get some shut eye. We got class in the morning."**

 **The rest of Team RWBY nodded in agreement and left, leaving Naruto stunned and staring off into the distance. Sun laughed as he waved his hand in front of his friend's face, not getting a reaction.**

 **"Called it." Haku smirked and held his hand out. Kurama scowled and Sasuke grimaced as they pulled out some lien and slapped it into the androgynous boy's hand.**

 **"I was so sure he'd focus on Nikos." Kurama grumbled. "What with his redhead fetish and all."**

Pyrrha turned as red as her hair at that.

 **"We're doomed if they procreate." Sasuke sighed.**

"Cause our babies would be awesome!"

 **Naruto just blinked. "What...What just happened?"**

"You just got yourself a girlfriend, that's what happened, boo-yah!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **IX: Friend That Is A Girl**

"Yes..." Yang rubbed her hands, a mad grin on her face. "Now it has come to fruition."

"You don't know you two are together." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Puh-lease!" Yang scoffed and waved her off. "We kissed, in T.V. logic, we are so getting together. Like you and fox boy will."

"N-Never!"

 **"Man, this is some nice digs," Sun said as he bounced on Naruto's bed. He looked over at his fellow blond with an arched brow. "You sure I can sleep here?"**

 **"Dude." Naruto put his hands on his chest, winced for a brief moment, and then grinned at the Faunus. "Me casa, es su casa."**

 **"That's his way of saying our place is yours," Sasuke said while he set Amaterasu on his desk and began to pull things from his dresser. "My turn for first shower."**

 **"Alright, your majesty." Kurama drawled as Sasuke ducked into the bathroom. He rested Rikudo up against the wall and sat on his bed. He arched a brow when Sun pulled out his weapons, Ruyi Bang and Jingo Bang, in their bo staff form to do the same.**

 **"Ah, another user of the mighty stick," Kurama said as he admired the two weapons. He held his hand out. "May I?"**

 **Sun grinned. "Only if I can see yours."**

"Wow, talk about insert shaft joke here," Yang said with a snicker.

"I'd do it." Nora nodded.

 **"Of course." Kurama grabbed Rikudo and tossed it over to Sun, while the blond Faunus tossed his shotgun-nunchaku staff in return. Kurama investigated the red and gold staff with a critical eye.**

"Okay, it's got to be said. Look at them working each other's shafts." The blonde whistled.

"You are so embarrassing!" Ruby hissed at her sister. Weiss was pinching her nose and Blake rubbed her head.

"Older sister, it's my job."

 **"A good solid build, with two of the shotguns facing out while the others rest within. Able to be flipped so as not to require immediate reloading."**

 **Sun, likewise, twisted the pole of Kurama's ringed staff and examined the spear form that the dangling knives made. "Similar to one of my friends' Jian, but much easier to balance in one hand. That means your semblance requires at least one hand to use."**

"I know what else needs one han-ow!" Yang yelped and glared at Blake. "You pinched my butt!"

"It shut you up, didn't it?" The Faunus retorted.

 _Oh I'm so pinching that Bellabooty in retaliation._ Yang thought with a narrowed gaze at her partner before she returned her attention to the television.

 **"Very good observation." Kurama praised his fellow Faunus with a smile as he flipped Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang over. "Ah, I see it can become a three sectioned staff as well as the nunchaku shotguns. Multiple uses for different scenarios. I assume you've trained to use them all?"**

 **"Heck yeah, man." Sun grinned back as he reverted the spear to the monk-like staff it was before. "Do you fight with this mode?"**

 **"Sometimes, but it's mostly to put others at ease. Of the three forms Rikudo has, that is by far the deadliest." Kurama had a secretive smile on his face as the two Faunus returned the weapons in their hands to the rightful owner.**

"So cool," Ruby gushed in a whisper at the display of weapons.

 **"Geez, Kurama, you're almost as bad as Ruby with her weapon fetish," Naruto said with a chuckle. He winced and held his side as he rested against the foot of his bed. "Ow. That dude hit hard. Even when I was at eight times durability, he managed to fracture my ribs."**

 **"You should go to the school nurse." Haku's suggestion made Naruto shiver. The two teammates of the whiskered blond rolled their eyes at his blatant fear of hospitals.**

 **Kurama shook his head. "He should be fine in the morning, if not a little sore."**

Yang barely held off a 'That's what she said' joke.

"That's what she said!" Nora, however, had no reservations.

"Nora!" Pyrrha scolded the giggling crazy girl.

 **"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Naruto quipped with a pained laugh. "Ow, hurts to laugh."**

 **"I can sleep on the floor if you want, little dude," Sun said with a small look of concern.**

 **"No, man, I'll be fine. I've slept in worse conditions before." Naruto waved off the Faunus' worry as he tore the remains of his shirt and jacket off. The whiskered blond clucked in disappointment. "Man, and I almost made it a year before my clothes got destroyed. Would've been a new record."**

 **"This is why I dress causal," Sun said with a grin as he pulled his gauntlets off and set them beside Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. He slipped his shirt and shoes off before he lounged on the bed with his hands behind his head.**

"Man, he got the abs!" Yang hummed, drinking in the sight and nudged Blake. "We are so lucky we get a free show."

"Shut up." The cat Faunus mumbled, averting her eyes as her cheeks burned pink.

 **"So...Anyone else get weirded out by that Ozpin guy? He seemed...off."**

 **"Prof. O?" Naruto asked as he tossed his ruined clothes in the garbage and took his combat sandals off. "Nah, he's always like that. What'd he ask you?"**

 **"Basically what I knew and why I snuck over to Vale before the rest of Haven came," Sun said with a shrug. "Figured it wouldn't hurt to drop your name."**

 **"Good call, Prof. O is way too smart to try and keep secrets from," Naruto said with a nod.**

"He likes to keep his secrets though," Ruby pouted. She wanted to know his cookie recipe darn it!

 **He looked up as Sasuke came out in his evening yukata. "I'm next!"**

 **The whiskered blond hopped to his feet and rushed off to the bathroom while Sasuke walked over to his corner of the room and dumped his dirty clothes in the bin.**

 **"So what did Naruto mean by eight times durability?" Sun asked in confusion. "I mean, I know his Semblance increases his strength and stamina, but durability?"**

 **"Like all of us, Naruto's Semblance is a reflection of his very soul, of who he is." Kurama explained as he gestured to Sasuke, who had picked up his copy of Ninjas of Love while he laid on his bed. "My partner's very quick and ruthless in battle, sharp and deadly like his sword. His Semblance, Kirin, reflects this and gives him control over lightning itself. One of our old teachers had a similar Semblance and helped refine Sasuke's so that it did not need to occur as just a giant lightning bolt coming from the sky."**

"Because that'd be crazily overpowered, oh wait!" Jaune beamed and then deadpanned. "It is..."

Pyrrha awkwardly patted his shoulder.

 **"As for myself, I have the traits of a fox, a mischief maker in ancient human mythos known for stealing and creating lies," Kurama said with a gesture to his tail and a smirk on his face. "I was raised in a community filled with gossip and retail, so I know both best. To give and to take are my bread and butter, to eavesdrop is my own bliss. I can locate anyone by their aura, making it easy to hide from them, and transfer aura from opponents to myself or from myself to others."**

 **"That must take a lot of aura to do," Sun said in mild surprise.**

 **Kurama nodded with a smile. "It does. Comparing my reserves to yours, you could say I am an ocean to your pond."**

Yang rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"No innuendos." Ruby begged with closed eyes.

"Please, I'm not _that_ predicable." Yang scoffed

Ruby tossed her hands in the air, thanking the higher power.

 **"...Just a pond?" Sun asked with a pout.**

 **Kurama chuckled. "Yes. You, Sasuke and Haku have large reserves, this is true, but there are only four people on campus whose reserves can even come near my own. Ozpin, Goodwitch, PJ and Naruto."**

 **"PJ?" Sun asked.**

"Wha-wha?" Jaune blinked and pointed to himself.

"No way he's bigger than me." Yang pouted, folding her arms under her bust.

"I begged!" Ruby whined.

 **"He's a friend, you'll probably meet him soon if you continue to hang around," Kurama said with a gesture of his hand. "I don't know why his reserves are so large, but I assume that to be due to his heritage."**

 **"It would make sense," Haku said. Sun looked at him and Haku gained a light smile. "PJ's real name is Jaune Arc."**

 **"...I don't know what that means," Sun said dryly.**

 **"Of course you don't." Haku sighed and shook his head. "Oh well, hopefully it'll make itself clear soon."**

 **"Anyway, back to the subject at hand," Kurama said. He nodded at Haku. "Our frosty friend has a nifty short-distance teleporting ability and has recently developed a spying method with our help to keep our goofball of a leader in check. It reflects his teachings at Fog Academy well, right?"**

 **"Yes." Haku nodded. "Subterfuge and counter-espionage was the focus of Fog's teachings."**

"Wow, Blake should have gone there, she'd be even _more_ ninja-y."

"I'm plenty ninja-y." Blake retorted with a huff.

"Ren could always spruce up on his ninja-ness." Nora mused.

Ren shrugged. "Sounds interesting."

 **"Cool," Sun said with an impressed grin on his face. "So, what's with Naruto's Semblance?"**

 **Sasuke sighed and set down his book. "Naruto's Semblance has been described by a village elder in Kon as 'the personification of a flame's will,' hence why we call it the 'Will of Fire'. Naruto is hardheaded and stubborn to a fault when he sets his mind to something. He would always find a way to get something done, even if it would get him in trouble. He's like an eternal flame, unable to be doused by any water, blown out by any wind, or covered by dirt."**

"His fire burns strongly," Ren said sagely.

"Like mine," Yang grinned.

 **"His will is so great that not even broken bones or injuries can hold him back from doing what he believes in right," Kurama said fondly. A small smile was on his face as he stared off at nothing. "Naruto's Semblance reflects his 'never say die' attitude and gives him the strength he needs to move even a mountain, the stamina to outlast a rampaging bull, and the durability to survive a building's collapse. The damn thing is always on, too, so his body is naturally twice as strong as any of ours. Nothing short of an atomizing attack could possibly defeat him."**

"…That's scarily specific." Jaune frowned.

 **"What about you?" Sun asked. "You could just drain his Aura reserves, right?"**

 **Kurama shook his head. "It would take too long. I would lose inevitably if it came down to that. Naruto will fight an enemy not to the end of his Aura reserves, but his last breath. Even if his arms had been wrecked, his legs cut off, and his spine broken, he would still try to gnaw you to death."**

 **"Damn..." Sun blinked in surprise. He sat back. "So he's like a one man machine..."**

 **"Naruto's strength comes from not himself, but his friends," Sasuke said. He smirked in amusement. "Idiot doesn't think he can stand on his own, nor does he want to. He's the type of guy that wants to be everyone's best friend.**

Weiss sniffed. "He's certainly not mine."

"Not for a lack of trying," Yang said.

 **Hard to believe I used to hate his and the fox's guts."**

 **"Screw you, too, Uchiha," Kurama said with a smirk. He looked at Sun and nodded. "Just know this, as long as you stay loyal to Remnant and a good friend, Naruto will never let you down or leave you for dead."**

 **"Leave who for dead?" Naruto asked as he walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck and running shorts on. He was rubbing water out of his ear and looked around as his four friends gave him grins.**

"And the steam is still wafting off." Yang purred to herself, her eyes lidded. "Mm-mm, Momma like."

"Don't purr." Blake warned her partner, looking offended.

"Not my fault it's considered something to do when ogling someone sexy."

Blake's cheeks burned red and she tightened her fists to keep from trying to strangle her partner.

 **"What? Why're you guys looking at me like that?"**

 **"We were just talking about your new girlfriend," Kurama said with a smirk as he got up and grabbed his clothes from his dresser. He walked into the bathroom and, before he shut the door, grinned at his team leader. "We don't want to see you mess this up, it is your first girlfriend after all."**

 **"What?! Hey! I've had a girlfriend before, Kurama!"**

Yang looked grumpy at the reminder.

 **Naruto yelled as the door slammed shut. His eye twitched in annoyance and he glared at the other three as they laughed at him. "You guys can** ** _all_** **suck the biggest of dicks!"**

 **Naruto huffed as he walked to the lunchroom the next day, dressed back in his modified school uniform. Behind him were his three teammates while Sun had gone back into Vale to entertain himself while he waited for their classes to end. Naruto wanted to go with him and skip class, but Haku reminded him that any potential tomfoolery could ruin his chances at getting into the Vytal Tournament. Sun, learning that they hadn't been allowed to participate yet, agreed with Naruto's partner.**

"He should totally skip!" Jaune urged.

"You just want another rival out of the way." Weiss told him.

"And you wouldn't?"

Weiss didn't answer, but did inwardly agree with the lanky blond.

"I'd rather face him in combat." Pyrrha said, looking somewhat eager herself.

 **"** ** _I came here not only to hang out, but to scope out, man. Learning what I have, I gotta prepare myself for our fight!"_** **Sun's words brought excitement and anticipation to Naruto, who agreed to meet up after classes. It wasn't until after the first class did Naruto realize what he'd agreed to, and now he was in a funk.**

 **"I thought Sun's advice was very useful," Kurama said as he reached down and patted his tail, now wrapped around his waist. The two Faunus had discussed tail care vigorously that morning and both walked away with plans to research a better way to clean their beloved animal appendages. "I didn't know that the baby shampoo I used was tested on animals. Why is that even a thing? Just because it doesn't harm animals doesn't mean it doesn't harm humans, or even Faunus for that matter."**

"I thought those were just crazy stories." Jaune blinked.

"Oh no, it's real." Blake informed with a big frown.

 **"It just goes to show how while a person can be smart, people are dumb." Sasuke shrugged. He noticed Naruto's funk and rolled his eyes. "Are you still miffed that Wukong ran off to have fun while you are stuck in class?"**

 **"Yes!" Naruto admitted without shame as he turned around and pouted at his teammates. "Port was as boring as usual and Goodwitch wanted us to actually** ** _learn_** **today instead of spar! I was so pumped to fight someone today!"**

"Didn't he just get punched through a building?" Ren asked dryly.

Nora blinked. "So?"

Ren inhaled and looked at the screen, taking Nora's answer as it was. It was better that way.

 **"We can spar after classes with Sun," Haku said with a sigh. "Besides, Professor Goodwitch said that our day ends early because she and Professor Ozpin are showing a few new teachers around."**

 **"And there's that!" Naruto threw his arms into the air. "I just got used to Peach's obsession with plants when four more potential weirdoes are coming?! Come on!"**

 **"What are you yelling about now, Uzumaki?" Weiss asked as she and the other girls on Team Ruby met up with them outside of the lunchroom. Naruto stole a glance at Yang, who grinned and winked at him, before he looked back at the white haired girl.**

 **"The new teachers," Naruto said with a small frown. "It took a while to get used to some of the antics of the old ones, but now we have new weirdoes coming!"**

"Our teachers are weird." Ruby nodded in agreement.

"But it's fun!" Yang grinned.

 **"At least life's never boring around here," Yang said as she hung back and grinned at him. "So, have any interesting dreams last night, Whisker Boy?"**

 **Naruto grinned back at her, though it seemed a bit uneasy, as he pushed the lunchroom doors open and made his way to the lunch line. "Well, I was swimming in a never-ending broth of Ramen when I was joined by a figure of beauty."**

Yang pumped her fist. "Rockin'!"

"Please, knowing Uzumaki, there was something more to it." Weiss mused with a small grin, making Yang blink in confusion.

 **"Oh really?"**

 **"Wait for it, it could be a woman made from noodles." Kurama interjected. Team RWBY looked at the flushed whisker boy as he glared at the red-themed member of Team NHKS.**

 **"One time! That was one time!" Naruto quickly hissed.**

"Called it."

Yang now looked put out by this. Ruby held up her scroll, recording her sister's reactions for the fun of it.

 **He scowled as he got in the lunch line and grabbed a tray to fill with bowls upon bowls of ramen. On his way to the usual table where his team, RWBY and JNPR sat to eat, Naruto turned around and grinned at Yang behind him. "So far only half of my dream is coming true today."**

 **Yang grinned back at him and tapped his nose with a finger. "Well, play your cards right and maybe you'll find yourself in heaven."**

 **"You guys are making me lose my lunch, and I haven't even started to eat yet." Ruby complained as she sat down across from Jaune.**

"And I don't like the feeling of an empty stomach." Ruby pointedly told Yang.

"Please, your stomach only knows the feeling of being full of sugar."

"Don't tell my tummy how it should feel!"

 **"What lunch?" Jaune asked with a laugh. He set his sandwich down and pointed at Ruby's tray. "All you have there are three cartons of milk and ten foods that don't fall under anything other than the sweet category."**

 **"You should eat healthier, Ruby," Pyrrha said after she had looked up and greeted the others. She had a well balanced meal on her plate and was currently enjoying the salad.**

 **"Yeah! You should have some of Ren's pancakes," Nora said. Ren shook his head and slapped Nora's hand as she tried to get the maple syrup. The hammer-wielding girl pouted at Ren, who merely sipped from his coffee mug.**

 **"I drink milk." Ruby dangled her open carton of milk.**

"That's still not good enough." Pyrrha frowned but smiled kindly. "I could make a wonderful food plan for you?"

Ruby looked horrified at the thought and rapidly shook her head in the negative.

 **"Besides, if anyone's eating habits are unhealthy, it's Uzumaki's." Weiss cut in as she gave the whiskered blond a look of disgust while he went to town on his third bowl. "How does he eat so much of that garba-!"**

 **Haku had moved so fast it was hard to tell if he used his Semblance or not to close the distance between himself and Weiss so that he may cover her mouth with his hand.**

"Unhand me you pretty devil!"

"So you like the pretty ones?"

Weiss gave Ruby a warning glare.

"Is that a yes or no?"

Weiss just took a cookie from Ruby's plate and dropped it on the floor, before she crushed it under her foot.

"No! It was innocent!" Ruby burst into tears and slipped to the ground, wallowing over the loss of the perfectly good cookie.

 **"Don't diss the Ramen." Sasuke warned while the heiress struggled under Haku's grasp.**

 **Blake arched a brow and took a bite of her tuna casserole. "Why does he eat so much of it?"**

 **"It's the food of Oum! Blessed be he who crafted Remnant with his divine ketchup and napkin," Naruto said after he set his bowl to the side and pulled the fourth in front of him. "He gave us this amazing gift to us after we acknowledged his greatness and showed him our gratitude. His prophet, the wise Mito Uzumaki, was the first to drink from the broth of the holy noodles, and happiness did she know forever more!" Naruto bowed his head and clapped his hands together. "Thank you Oum for this wondrous meal I am about to eat. May your rule be eternal and peaceful."**

"…Okay he's weird! He's weird!" Nora declared, a frightened look on her face.

Yang sighed. "There's always something...oh well, at least he's got a nice butt."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, her brow furrowed in thought.

"I'll explain it when you're older."

 **The two teams stared at Naruto as he began to eat once more, while Haku, Sasuke and Kurama seemed to ignore his preaching.**

 **"And that is why we don't diss the Ramen or try to get him off of his addiction," Kurama said dryly as he picked up his ham sandwich. "The nut job could flip his lid. Again."**

 **Sasuke shivered and rubbed his arms. "The sirens. The screams...I can still hear them."**

 **Kurama consoled his partner with a rub on the back while the other eight glanced nervously at Naruto. The whiskered blond was eating contently and his eyes were closed as he did.**

 **"Just...what happened exactly?" Ruby dared to ask.**

 **"Our village ran out of Ramen," Kurama said simply while Sasuke gained horrified wide eyes. Kurama shrugged. "All I know was that I was right next to Naruto when he found out, and then I woke up a few days later in the hospital. No idea what happened and, based on the trembling form of my partner, I don't want to know."**

 **"He went ballistic." Sasuke mumbled. "He took out our village's best and even a few more experienced students from Vacuo's Huntsman academy were injured when they tried to restrain him. In the end, it fell on the shoulders of our academy's headmaster to stop him. Buildings were in ruins and many were mildly injured from Naruto's reaction.**

"…I would probably act the same if I didn't have my pancakes." Nora agreed.

"It's true." Ren whimpered, oh those were the dark days.

 **Shortly afterwards, a law dedicated solely ensuring that such an event never occurs again had started."**

 **"...Wow, it sounds like Yang when someone damages her hair," Ruby said softly.**

 **Yang gave her little sister a dirty look. "I'm not** ** _that_** **bad!"**

"You are." Ruby, Blake and Weiss claimed.

"Am not." Yang stubbornly refuted.

 **"Tell that to the three guys you sent to hospital after they accidentally cut one of your hairs off," Ruby said dryly.**

 **Blake gave her partner a pointed stare. "Didn't you do something similar to some Ursa during our initiation?"**

"I find these accusations baseless and unfounded slander!"

 **Yang chuckled sheepishly and poked her fingers together. "Well, you have to have pride in something about yourself, right?"**

 **The table was quiet before Haku sighed and sat back down in his seat on the other side of Naruto while Yang sat on his other side. "And now you two are going to start dating..."**

 **"What is that supposed to mean?" Yang frowned while Naruto choked on his ramen. Naruto forced himself to swallow what was in his mouth lest he waste the blessed noodles he loved so dearly.**

 **"Who said anything about dating!? It was one kiss!" Naruto argued quickly and loudly. He shrunk down slightly when Yang's gaze fell on him. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with us dating, but it was just a kiss of gratitude, wasn't it?"**

Yang scoffed, "Please, tongue was used. That's not gratitude."

 **"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't." Yang simply answered with a smile. She leaned next to him so that their hips and shoulders touched. "Besides, you'd kill to have a girlfriend that looked this good...right?"**

 **"...Yes?" Naruto said, uncertainly.**

Yang nodded and smirked. "Smart boy."

 **"Thought so!" Yang grinned and went back to eating her lunch while Naruto stared at her for another moment before he looked over at his team. Haku chuckled at the silent cry for help that was on his whiskered partner's face while Kurama merely gave Naruto a thumbs up like Sun had the night before.**

 **Sasuke had seemed to recover from his flashback and had a smirk plastered on his face as he looked at his team leader. He looked around the lunchroom in mild amusement. "I wonder if CFVY is back from their mission yet. Then Naruto and Kurama can double date. I bet a certain bunny would love it if you asked her."**

 **Kurama punched his partner's shoulder. "Funny, Uchiha. You're a real comedian."**

"I think they would be sweet together." Blake smiled fondly.

"True, but the Weiss-Kurama thing is still funny to think about." Yang hummed.

Weiss glowered, "It is not!"

 **"I think you and Velvet look great together." Ren offered with his own small and amused smile.**

 **"I'm surrounded by wise guys." Kurama growled. He snapped a look at Blake while she chuckled at her fellow Faunus' misfortune. "Or maybe our resident kitten should take her monkey boytoy and the other two blonds out for a walk."**

 **Blake's smile fell and she glared at the glasses-wearing Faunus as he smirked back at her.**

"Sick burn!"

"Ruby," Blake frowned.

"What? It was." Ruby shrugged.

 **"I think you're** ** _all_** **getting ahead of yourselves," Naruto said dryly as he finished off his lunch. "And I think I'm going to go see if I can't figure out who the new teachers are."**

 **He stood up to clean up his lunch and yelped when something pinched his butt. A glare shot over to Yang, who grinned at him like a minx.**

"Mm-hm, he got the booty." Yang nodded with a sly grin on her face. She snapped her fingers. "The Narutushie! Male equivalent to the Bellabooty!"

"...I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." Blake mumbled. She yelped and jumped slightly in her seat, her hands going to her backside and her eyes narrowing as she glared daggers at Yang.

"Yep. You could bounce a coin off the booty and tushie." Yang smirked.

 **"...You're** ** _very_** **lucky I didn't throw my tray into the air," Naruto said with a light flush before he walked away. The rest of the table burst into snickers and Ren slapped Nora's hand when she tried once more to steal the syrup for her plate of pancakes.**

 **Yang rested her hand on her chin as she leaned into the table and shamelessly admired his backside. Her grin was still plastered on her face.**

 **"He's so fun to tease." Yang mused. "Bet he's great in bed, too."**

 **Ruby choked on her lunch and then glared at her laughing sister with a red face. Blake, Weiss and JNPR did the same while the rest of Team NHKS smirked or laughed at the comment.**

 **Yang just gave those who were glaring at her a victory sign.**

Ruby rubbed her eyes. "Mind bleach, mind bleach!"

"Oh stop overreacting, Ruby." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, when your sister does something embarrassing, you'll understand."

Weiss was quiet at that, a frown on her face.

 **"** ** _I know who you are. You're my girlfriend._** **"**

 **"** ** _Well, that's probably the most underwhelming description of all time._** **"**

 **"** ** _Hey, lots of ladies would be happy to be my girlfriend._** **"**

 **"** ** _What other women do you even know?_** **"**

 **"** ** _Uh...well, there's um…Oh! Grif had a sister, she seemed to like me._** **"**

 **"** ** _Yeah, she also seemed pretty easy._** **"**

 **"** ** _How did you know she was easy, Tex? Wait, you know what? Don't answer. It's better in my head._** **"**

"Huh, such wise words." Jaune muttered.

"What was that?" Pyrrha frowned a tad.

"Nothing!"

 **Naruto snorted from where he lounged on his bed watching a video on his Scroll. "I can't believe they thought I was going to go investigate the new teachers. I'm just going to sit here and chill while I watch some good ol' educational** ** _Red VS Blue: Revelation._** **"**

"Ah, a classic." Ren nodded.

"Educational television," Nora said with a nod of her own. "Very respectable."

"...That answers so many questions, but raises so many more," Weiss said under her breath.

 **"Is that season seven or season eight?"**

 **"Season eight." Naruto answered the other occupant of his bed. He snickered along with his companion when the sniper implied that he dealt with a certain hard organ on the male body. Naruto was content for another few seconds before he realized that he'd been sitting in his room** ** _alone_** **watching videos on his bed** ** _alone_** **for the past thirty minutes. A weight landed on his shoulder and Naruto looked down to see a familiar shade of blonde atop the head of a familiar girl.**

"Yang, Dad said we can't go into boys' rooms alone!" Ruby scolded.

"So? Dad isn't here. Or, well, there." Yang rolled her eyes.

"I'm still telling!"

 **Naruto looked from Yang to his team's bedroom door and then back at Yang before he arched a brow. "How did you do that?"**

 **"Do what?" Yang asked, partially distracted by the most popular web series on Remnant.**

 **Naruto paused the video and closed his Scroll as he sat up. "Sneak into my team's room without me realizing it?"**

 **"I walked in, closed the door and then climbed on the bed. You were just too distracted to notice." Yang replied bluntly with a smirk on her face. She sat up and met his gaze. "You really didn't think I don't recognize the signs of someone skipping class?"**

"Seriously, it's not that hard." Yang agreed, chiding her friends for buying it.

 **"Well, I was hoping I did a good job of covering my bases." Naruto mumbled in disappointment.**

 **Yang arched a brow. "You? Investigating teachers to see who they are? Come on, Whisker Boy, you'll meet them when we're shuffled into their classes."**

 **"...Man, our friends are dumb," Naruto said with an amused smile on his face.**

"Hey!" the friends in question cried in outrage.

 **"In Ruby's defense, she's only fifteen and has an attention disorder...I think." Yang mused. She shrugged.**

"That was never proven!" Ruby argued quickly.

"...Again, that would make a lot of sense." Weiss stated. Ruby pouted at the smirking girl.

 **"And the others don't really care as long as they don't think you're running off to prank someone."**

 **"Meh, Cardin's still butt hurt from the laxative I slipped in his protein shake last week and all the teachers are too cool to really bother," Naruto said with a shrug of his own.**

 **"And you haven't pranked us yet because...?" Yang fished.**

 **Naruto arched a brow. "What do you mean? Of course I pranked you guys. I got Sneeze on day one with the duck tape. Bell got the brunt of a dog whistle when I was trying to prank Kurama. Still need to apologize for that. Ruby lost some cookies to yours truly and you...uh..." Naruto furrowed his brow. "Give me a second, I know I did something to you..."**

"Oh, I'd know if he did~"

"Yang, enough grossing me out." Ruby groaned.

"Oh grow up already Rubes! Be a woman!"

 **"If only." Yang joked with a smile.**

 **"...Oh, damn, I really haven't – no, wait! A few days ago when we were in Vale. The size thing." Naruto smirked at her. "Made you blush."**

"True, seeing turnabout on Yang was funny," Blake grinned.

"About time someone did it." Weiss nodded in agreement.

Yang pouted. "Some friends you girls are, you stink."

"We try." The white and black themed girls smirked victoriously.

 **Yang smirked back and climbed onto his lap, causing Naruto's smirk to slowly die down. "Yes you did, but you also raised a** ** _big_** **question I want answered."**

 **"Uh...So, uh...I-Is this really going to be a thing?" Naruto asked as he sat back against his bed and let his hands rest on Yang's hips.**

 **"I don't know," Yang said slyly. "You tell me."**

 **"I mean, I wouldn't exactly mind, but I thought we were just joking around..." Naruto mumbled.**

 **Yang leaned in and her half-lidded lilac eyes stared into Naruto's blue. "Games are fun and all, but they gotta end eventually."**

Ruby covered her eyes, her face a blooming red. "Yang!"

Their other friends fared little better.

Yang just kept her eager eyes locked on the screen.

 **"...Hard to argue with that logi- could you** ** _please_** **stop moving your hips?"**

 **"Sorry, that happens sometimes."**

"No! No it doesn't!" Ruby rationalized.

"Yes it does," Yang smirked. "You just haven't been that close with a guy before."

Ruby pulled her hood over her face. "I'm not seeing this! I don't know you!"

Yang rolled her eyes at how dramatic Ruby was being. It was free soft core porn! She should really start enjoying it.

 **Naruto stared at her flatly, his face lightly flushed. "It's welcomed, but it makes thinking difficult."**

 **"What's there to think about?" Yang asked with a grin.**

 **"Hm, point taken." Naruto grinned slightly before he let his lips press gently against hers. Yang grinned back as their lips meshed together, her arms were loosely hanging over his shoulders while Naruto's hands began to gently stroke her legs.**

"Oh my," Pyrrha said, bashfully covering her eyes, along with the more modest people in the room, i.e., Ruby and Weiss.

Blake had a hand over her eyes, but a finger cracked open to allow her to peer through at it.

Jaune was taking mental notes.

Ren was trying to cover Nora's eyes, but she was pushing his hands out of the way, resulting in a playful fight between the two friends.

Yang's gaze was still locked on the television, her smile face-splitting.

 **The two blondes were so engrossed with one another that they didn't notice the door opening again.**

 **"Okay, Naruto, fun's over, next class is – Oh! Damn, man, in our room!?" Sasuke clapped his hand over his eyes while the two broke from their kiss and looked at him. "Geez, I'll never unsee that! Nightmares, I'm going to have nightmares!"**

"Maybe I should've put a sock on the doorknob." Yang mused thoughtfully through pursed lips

"Oh, that's what you're worried about?" Weiss snapped with irritation.

 **Sasuke rushed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Naruto and Yang stared at the door in mild shock before they looked at each other with grins on their faces.**

 **"Make out on his bed?"**

 **"It's like you read my mind."**

"That is just horrible!" Weiss shook her head, hoping Yang would never do that to her.

"I'd do that," Yang said with a nod.

Weiss' concern now turned to whether or not it had already been done.

 **"And you're sure of what you saw?" Haku asked Sasuke while the raven-haired boy scrubbed water and soap into his eyes from a drinking fountain. The question of where the soap had come from was still unanswered, and Haku was more concerned with** ** _why_** **he and Kurama had found Sasuke doing such and ask rather than the** ** _how_** **that was bouncing around in Kurama's head.**

 **"Yes! Gah, the burning! No, that's good, it means the image will be gone!"**

Yang crossed her arms with a frown. "He should be thankful, that was a smoking shot!"

"Even seeing his friend receiving some petting?" Blake asked dryly.

"Of course!"

 **"Wow, this whole time I thought you were kidding about being afraid of Naruto procreating," Kurama said as he watched his partner nearly mutilate himself. "You do know they were just kissing, right?"**

 **"W-Who was kissing?"**

 **The leader-less Team NHKS turned to see Velvet and her team walking up to them. The rabbit-eared girl blushed shyly under their gaze and ducked behind Yatsuhashi, who had a small smile on his face.**

 **"Hey Vel." Kurama greeted with a nod. "Fox. Yatsuhashi."**

 **"Kurama." The giant older teen nodded back while the silent teen gave a small wave.**

 **"What's all this about kissing?" Coco asked with a smirk on her face. She looked around and pouted. "Aw, Naru's still hiding from me? Is he still mad?"**

"More like, uh, ahem, getting it on." Jaune commented as casually as he could.

Yang glared at him, "I don't go _that_ fast, Puke Boy. Watch yourself."

"Yes, ma'am!" Jaune gulped.

 **"He's probably more horny than he is mad," Kurama said with a grunt when Haku elbowed him.**

 **Coco caught it and her pout turned into a confused frown. "What is that supposed to mean?"**

 **"Your 'adorable little brother' has just doomed Remnant to endless Hell." Sasuke grunted as he rubbed his eyes. "I think it's gone now."**

"Oh, they wouldn't be that bad," Yang said, waving off the comment. "That's just destroy a single kingdom at best."

"You mean at worse…" Pyrrha corrected.

"I know what I said."

Weiss looked to Blake. "Sacrifice yourself."

"By doing what?" Blake blinked.

Weiss just gave her a knowing look.

The Faunus flustered, "Oh god, seriously?"

"It's for the betterment of the world!"

"But he's not real!"

"We can't take that chance!"

 **"What?"**

 **"Nothing Coco," Haku said with a sigh. "Naruto pranked Sasuke with Yang's help."**

 **"Yang's that blonde girl with the big bust, right?" Coco asked, recalling seeing the buxom member of Team RWBY in passing. Her lips pursed. "How close are they?"**

"Someone's jealous." Ruby murmured.

"She should be," her sister nodded sagely.

 **"Intimat – Ow! My foot!" Kurama started to hop around with his hand on his foot after Haku stomped down on it.**

 **"Whoops, I should really watch where I'm going. Excuse us, Coco, my teammates and I need to have a quick conversation." Haku smiled at the older teens as he grabbed Kurama and Sasuke's collars, pulling them with him around a corner. Once they were out of sight, Haku turned on his friends with a scowl. "Are you two** ** _trying_** **to get Yang killed?"**

"Ex-squeeze me?" the blonde squawked.

 **"I think if anyone should be angry here, it's me!" Kurama hissed as he gingerly set his foot down. "You broke something!"**

 **"Get over yourself!" Haku hissed back. He pointed behind them. "You** ** _know_** **how Coco gets! She is the Yang to Naruto's Ruby! Remember that time Russell brained Ruby with an apple?"**

"That was a dark day indeed." Ruby shivered at the memory of what Yang did.

And seeing that feral grin on her sister's face was not helping quell that memory!

 **"Yeah? And?" Kurama asked. He grinned. "Dipshit got his ass beat and stopped picking on the squirt. Not to mention the wave of pranks Naruto and I did."**

 **"What do you think will happen to Yang when** ** _Coco_** **finds out that she kissed Naruto?!"**

 **"Uh, guys?" Sasuke held a finger up as Kurama and Haku glared daggers at each other.**

 **"Who cares about that? They had that coming!** ** _You_** **broke** ** _my_** **foot!"**

 **"G-guys?"**

 **"That's going to be the least of your concerns if Ruby finds out you were the reason Coco killed Yang because** ** _you_** **told** ** _her_** **that Yang and Naruto are dating!"**

"I will be very pouty and angry." Ruby nodded in agreement.

 **"Guys!?"**

 **"They aren't even dating yet! They've only just started to kiss and shit!"**

"It's only the start to the madness that is dating." Ren recited.

"Madness? Why madness?" Jaune asked.

"You'll see when you start to date someone."

Jaune just wondered who Ren could have dated before to even know that.

 **"Hey idiots!"**

 **"What!?" Haku and Kurama snapped their glares over to Sasuke, only to pale when they realized Team CFVY was standing right behind the boy. Yatsuhashi had Sasuke in a one-armed headlock and Coco's aura, a very intimidating** ** _red,_** **was visible around her. Velvet was hiding behind Fox, who was a good distance away from his team leader.**

"Wow, thanks a bunch guys…" Yang pouted at the screen. Great, she had to fight an upper classman now.

 **"So..." Coco cracked her knuckles and narrowed her eyes behind her sunglasses. "Which of you is going to show me where your dorm room is?"**

"Don't tell her, you cowards!"

 **"Wait, hold up," Naruto said as he pushed himself up and off of Yang while they laid on Sasuke's bed. He looked down at his new girlfriend with mild confusion.**

Yang pumped her fist. "And confirmed!"

Weiss hung her head. "My other is doomed!"

Blake patted her shoulder in understanding.

 **"Did you feel that?"**

 **"I was going to say something, but I kind of like the poke it gives. Really revs my engines," Yang said with a wink.**

Ruby turned green.

Yang laughed at the look on her sister's face.

 **"Hot, but I could've sworn I just had a tingle go down my spine."**

 **Yang grinned at him and interlaced her fingers behind his neck. "Good to know I have that effect on you."**

"It's not that kind of tingle," Yang frowned. She was really hoping Coco wasn't a cock blocker. That'd suck for realsies.

 **"No, not that kind of tingle," Naruto said with a frown. He pursed his lips and looked around the room with his brows furrowed together. "Like...an overwhelming sense of doom and despair just overcame me."**

 **"It's called a relationship, Whisker Boy. Now stop being so negative about it and get back down here." Yang pulled Naruto into another kiss before he could say anything else. Just as their new round of second base started up, there was a knock at the door.**

"Don't answer it! You'll get eaten!" Ruby cried out on reflex.

The others looked to Yang, who shrugged.

"Too many horror movies when we were younger. I might have scarred her mind."

"Where's my flashlight?!" Ruby panicked.

 **Their kiss broke again and Yang glared at Naruto. "If you get up to get that, I will break your nuts."**

 **"...I was stopping for air, that's all."**

 **"Smart boy."**

 **"Right? Why can't everyone else see-Mm..."**

 **There was another knock and the two blondes each lifted one hand to flip it off, all the while still kissing and petting each other heavily. Yang pushed Naruto over and straddled him, her blonde locks curtaining over him and the both of them grinning at each other. They resumed their petting, their tongue-used kissing and pretty much barely managed to stay appropriately dressed – both were still in their respective school uniforms when this relationship began. (Yang's attire might have been a huge factor in Naruto's quick decisions, but that's beside the point.)**

"I knew the uniform was rockin'." Yang grinned while watching the scene.

"Is it over yet?" Ruby asked, covering her eyes.

"Nope," Blake said dryly, her head slightly tilted as she absorbed the technique the two blondes displayed.

"That's a shame." Weiss frowned, who was looking respectfully away.

 **The new couple were thus shocked, but did not move, when the door was broken down by Kurama's body. The Faunus groaned from where he lay on the specially crafted entryway and let out a grunt when a sharp heel stepped onto his back over him.**

 **"Naruto! What's this I hear...about...?" Coco's question trailed off as she took in the sight of her adopted baby brother being straddled by the buxom blonde she'd seen in passing. Her hands curled into tight fists and her Aura began to flare lightly. "You."**

"She's not whining over her 'baby brother'," Yang scoffed. "She just wanted to train him for herself."

"Is that a thing?" Jaune asked.

"It's a thing." Nora nodded and gave Pyrrha a slight smirk. The redhead looked away. She had no idea what Nora was talking about.

 **"...Uh, hi Coco..." Naruto gave her a weak smile and wave. He looked at Yang, then back at Coco. "Um...I can explain."**

 **"Then explain it, Naruto." Coco gave him a sweet smile that promised nothing but pain if he tried to lie.**

 **"...This is** ** _exactly_** **what it looks like."**

 **Coco smiled wider. "Do you** ** _know_** **what it looks like?"**

 **"Uh..."**

 **"Like I'm checking his blood pressure," Yang said simply. Team CFVY, the rest of Team NHKS, who were held by their necks in Yatsuhashi's massive arms aside from Kurama on the ground, and even** ** _Naruto_** **looked at her in disbelief. Yang sat back slightly and smiled at the older teen.**

"You lie as terribly as you make puns." Weiss rubbed her eyes in pain.

"Psh, you wish you could pun like I do."

 **"...By straddling him?" Coco asked in mild disbelief crossed with barely contained fury while Fox palmed his face.**

 **"It's** ** _very_** **effective. Gets an accurate reading every time."**

 **Naruto looked up at the ceiling with a frown. "...Why must you take away all of my nice things?"**

 **"...Naruto. Go outside." Coco held her hand out while Naruto tried to get out from under his new girlfriend, though Yang kept him pinned in place. "Velvet, my bag, please."**

"Oh man, not good." Ruby gulped and Yang didn't look so confident either at the moment.

 **"U-Um, Coco, I'm p-pretty sure you're not supposed to use your weapons inside," Velvet said and then looked down at her fellow Faunus. "And I think Kurama needs air."**

 **"Velvet, sweetie, don't argue with me right now. Naruto! Move!"**

 **"Coco, believe me, I'm tryin'!" Naruto returned as he tried to push Yang off. "Geez, woman, your legs are strong!"**

"Like steel, baby." The blonde commented smugly.

 **"Lesser men's hips have been broken," Yang said with a smile. She turned to her whiskered boyfriend and tapped his nose. "You stay right here and I'll be back to finish up in a second."**

 **"You'll finish up all right..." Coco grumbled. "Velvet!"**

 **Velvet winced and handed Coco her bag before she ran back to hide behind Yatsuhashi, Fox doing the same. The self-proclaimed older sister flicked her wrist and the bag unfolded into a mini-gun. Yang slid off of Naruto's lap and reached into her school's jacket pocket to pull her gauntlets on. As the two teen girls had a stare off of epic proportions, Naruto, far too afraid to move for his own safety, looked from Yang, to Coco, and then up at the ceiling.**

 **"Oum...Why do you hate me?"**

"Because you're a miscreant?" Weiss asked.

"You're just jellin' that other Weiss doesn't have a boytoy as fine as that."

Weiss gave the blonde a fierce glare.

"I am not!"

"Uh-huh, sure." Yang smirked triumphantly when Weiss let out a frustrated growl. She needed that just in case this soon to be awesome fight didn't pan out well for her alternate self.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **X: Best Day Ever**

"I wonder if that's referring to the fight?" Yang mused with a smirk.

 **"Where to begin?" Glynda Goodwitch looked over the three teams seated before her as she paced the front of her personal classroom. Her hands were folded behind her back and a scowl was set on her face as she looked at the whiskered blond male seated with his team in the center front desk. "Where...to begin? Shall I start with the inconceivable reasons of performing hooky?"**

"That episode title is a lie." Ruby whimpered. "Being yelled at by Goodwitch was not good at all!"

"And where's the fight?" Yang scowled and crossed her arms. "I wanna know how I beat her!"

"Who says you did?" Weiss asked with a laugh.

"I could take her with one arm!"

 **"In my defense, getting a girlfriend wasn't the reason I, uh, decided to skip." Naruto rubbed his neck sheepishly. He cowed significantly, nearly falling under the desk, as Goodwitch's infuriated eyes fell on him. Naruto swallowed audibly and hung his head. "I'll be quiet now."**

 **"Quite." Goodwitch huffed as she walked over to Team NHKS' left to stand before Team RWBY. "Perhaps I should ask instead why you, Ms. Rose, allowed your teammate to slip away and perform the same act, sneaking into another team's room – an all male team's room at that!"**

 **"Uh, I um, what I mean to say is um...Yang bribed me with cookies!"**

"It's true!" Ruby said. She was more than willing to push Yang under the Bullhead.

"Ruby!" Yang gasped at the betrayal.

"I regret nothing!"

 **"That's a dirty lie!"**

 **"Quiet!" Goodwitch need not raise her voice to stop the two sisters, both seated on opposite sides of their desk – with the older furthest away from her new boyfriend – and resisted the urge to smirk when Ruby and Yang let out meek squeaks and sat up straight.**

"She gets off on this." Jaune whispered, horrified by the notion.

Ren's eyes glazed over for the briefest of seconds before he shook himself out of the daydream. His right leg crossed over his left to conceal any sign of possible arousal at the thought of Goodwitch in tight leather.

 **With her scowl still in place, Goodwitch went over to the other side of the room, where Team CFVY was seated, all as nervous as the rookies.**

Yang rubbed her hands together gleefully. That'll show Coco to mess with her and her new boyfriend.

 **"Or perhaps, I should start with asking why in the world a second year team, one who is notably remarked as possibly the best of their year, decided to sit back and watch with notable hostages as their team leader unloaded..." Goodwitch looked down at her Scroll and then glared at Coco, who shrunk into her seat. "** ** _Eight hundred_** **fire Dust infused rounds into the dormitory?"**

"Wow, I knew Yang could eat, but that's a lot of lead."

"Come here, you!" Yang said with her eyes burning red as she reached to wrangle Jaune's neck. She did _not_ eat _that_ much!

"Calm down please!" Pyrrha pleaded as she and Blake held the enraged blonde girl back.

"Let me strangle him then I'll calm down!"

"Strangle him after the episode," Blake said with a grunt as she forced the girl into her seat.

Yang glared at Jaune one last time before she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"He's not worth the effort."

"Thank you." Jaune whispered to Pyrrha, who smiled back at him after they swapped seats.

 **"...I was preventing my cute juniors from making a terrible mistake?" Coco laughed nervously.**

 **"Nearly killing** ** _both_** **in the process?" Goodwitch inquired with a glare.**

 **"Um...Well, that's one way to stop unprotected sex, right?"**

"She has a point." Weiss mused.

"Don't agree with it! We almost lost Yang!" Ruby told her partner.

"Hm, that would be a waste of our power player for the tournament."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks for the concern."

"You're welcome."

 **"Coco!"**

 **"We weren't even that far yet!"**

 **"Mr. Uzumaki, Ms. Xiao-Long, be quiet!"**

 **Both blondes shrunk down as the professor and second head of the school glared at them.**

 **"Now." Goodwitch began again as she walked to the front of the classroom and then turned to face the three. "If it were up to me, I'd have** ** _all_** **of you expelled and shipped back to wherever any of you had decided to call home prior to your arrival to Beacon. However, for some unknown reason, Professor Ozpin has decided against taking this action."**

 **The three teams sighed in visible relief and Goodwitch almost smirked again. Almost.**

"It's bad." Jaune shook his head.

 **"Instead, he's decided to have the Vale visitation rights of all three teams pulled for the next three months, starting immediately." Was it wrong that Goodwitch took pleasure in seeing the horror on each of their faces?**

"Uh yes!" Yang protested while Weiss glared at her.

"You and your blasted hormones!" the heiress snarled. "Look at what they did!"

"Don't blame the council!" Yang argued, holding her boobs as an act of comfort.

"I'll blame them all day long! My shopping rights, gone!" Weiss glared at Ruby. "Your other better do something, Ruby."

"Uh...Right." Ruby laughed nervously. Great, she was going to get it for something a fictional version of her sister did!? So not cool.

 **...Probably not. They did just cause at** ** _least_** **two hundred thousand lien of damage to a campus dorm. "** ** _And_** **...He's decided that as Team NHKS' dorm room is being restored, that each team will be assigned a personal teacher to oversee and watch them for those next three months. The teams will not be allowed to train, group study, or engage in any recreation without the expressed permission of their respective handler."**

"Oh god, we have babysitters!" Weiss sank into her seat, her features even paler. "Babysitters! My career is down the toilet before it even began!"

"Well, that stinks for you guys." Nora giggled, despite the girls' glares. She thought it was funny.

 **Okay,** ** _now_** **it was wrong that she took pleasure from their horrified faces.**

 **Goodwitch decided that** ** _now_** **was the appropriate time to smirk as she looked down at her Scroll. A button was pressed and she smiled as her classroom door slid open. Four adults walked in, and only three faces lit up as they did. Goodwitch saw this and her scowl fell.**

 **"YOSH!" A man with black hair styled like a bowl and enormous eyebrows cried out with a pumped fist. He was dressed in a skintight green suit that had various pads of a contrasting maroon over his body. His feet had dark muted orange boots on, styled similarly to the boys' of Team NHKS. He gave a thumbs up towards the three teams and beamed, which caused his teeth to gleam. "Greetings youthful Hunters, we are Team KAAG (Kage), the most youthful and spring filled team from Vacuo, brought here by the youthful and wise Professor Ozpin!"**

"…Kill it with fire, kill it with fire!" Blake cried out, horror written all over her face.

"I would but Goodwitch might do something even worse." Weiss sniffled in despair.

"...I think those eyebrows are alive..." Ruby mused with squinted eyes.

 **"Oh for the love of – Guy, we talked about this," a man beside him said with a heavy sigh. He wore wraparound sunglasses, much like Kurama, and was dressed in a navy blue outfit with a black trench coat over it. His brown hair was spiked up and fell slightly towards the left.**

 **"This is so embarrassing." A woman with long black hair groaned into her bandaged right hand. She wore a dress that looked like it was made of wrappings and was sleeveless over her left arm, while a red sleeve hung down from her right. Red eyes opened as she glared at the loud 'youth' preacher. Heeled variations of the sandals worn by most of Team NHKS covered her feet.**

"Okay, she's _really_ pretty." Ruby mused with awe. "Like, Mom's level of pretty."

"Oh yeah." Yang agreed.

"Now _that_ is what a model huntress should look like." Weiss complimented with a nod. Blake arched a brow.

"Goodwitch isn't a model huntress?" she asked

"She is, but even _I_ find her to be a bit too...strict," Weiss said.

 **"Easy, Kurenai, Guy's just being Guy." The tall bearded man to her left consoled her with a laid-back smile on his face. His hair was a similar black as the other man, Guy's, but was short and slightly spiked like the third man. He had a rugged appearance and gave a light wave to the group of teens. The rugged man wore a sleeveless black vest and had an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. Around his waist was a sash with a small red monkey on it. Like the rest of his male teammates, he wore combat sandals on his feet. "Sup, kids – wait a minute...is that-?"**

 **The woman, Kurenai, gave him a sharp elbow in the side before she looked at Goodwitch with a smile. "So, where do you want us?"**

 **Goodwitch could see that a certain three students recognized each and every one of the team members that Ozpin requested as their handler. She wanted to rant and rage how it was unfair that she had to be miserable while those that caused it, mostly anyway, were reunited with old friends.**

"She loves to make us suffer." Ruby pouted.

"When I become a teacher/politician/billionaire, I'll probably do the same thing." Weiss confessed.

"Trifecta much?" Jaune asked.

"I'm an overachiever." Weiss sniffed.

 **Her friend and boss was such a sneaky bastard sometimes.**

 **"Well, Ozpin suggested we needed a responsible woman to reign in two very irresponsible siblings and their equally rambunctious partners," Goodwitch said as she adjusted her glasses. She looked over at Team RWBY, who had angelic smiles plastered on their faces, and then back at Kurenai. "Don't let them trick you. They're hellions. All of them."**

 **Team NHKS snickered or smirked while each girl hung their head in shame.**

"I was not a part of that!" Weiss tossed in quickly.

"The heck you aren't." Ruby muttered back at her. "All for one and one for all! That's the team motto!"

"Since when!?"

"Since...Since just now! I declare as team leader!"

 **"Alright then." Kurenai smiled as she walked over to stand by the team. She waited patiently while Goodwitch moved down the line.**

 **"A-oba, was it?"**

 **"More like Aoba." The way the man pronounced it was like 'Ow-ba.'**

 **"My apologies."**

 **"It's understandable," Aoba said with a small smile and nod.**

 **"Please keep a watch over Team CFVY." Goodwitch pointed at the older students and promptly palmed her face when she saw Coco grinning widely.**

"He's pretty good looking, I can see where she's going with this." Yang confessed.

"I thought you didn't like her now," Pyrrha said with a small confused frown.

"I don't," Yang said. She crossed her arms and frowned sourly. "But that doesn't mean we can't agree on some things."

 **As Aoba went over to stand by his designated team, Goodwitch looked at her Scroll and scowled. If only she had a say in which team got a teacher, she would** ** _personally_** **ensure Team NHKS never did anything to break the rules. Unfortunately, this was a call Ozpin pulled his authority on. Again.**

 **"And finally, Asuma–"**

 **"YES!" Sasuke, Naruto and Kurama stood up with their fists in the air as they cheered.**

"Man, why do they get the cool one?" Yang pouted. Kurenai was a hottie, no lie, but the boys _knew_ theirs!

"Probably because Ozpin organized it," Blake said dryly.

"Honestly, I think they missed out. He smokes and smokers have bad breath," Weiss said with a haughty sniff.

"...True, that does detract points." Yang conceded.

 **Asuma laughed and walked over to stand by them, the five males already chatting wildly while Goodwitch clutched her scroll tightly. This was not going to end in punishment, she was sure of it.**

 **"Uh, forgive me, Ms. Goodwitch, but, was there not a team of youths for me to preside over?" Guy asked as he watched his teammates with a hint of jealousy.**

 **Goodwitch adjusted her glasses as a smirk crossed her face once again. At least one problem would be resolved from this decision. One problem she had thought to be impossible to fix.**

"I don't like the look one her face." Jaune frowned and his team felt chills go down their spines.

 **Elsewhere, one Jaune Arc turned and sneezed into his arm before he looked back at the current page he was reading of a** ** _X-Ray and Vav_** **comic.**

"Why am I always right?!" Jaune groaned.

Nora glowered at him. "Wow, Jaune, thanks a lot."

"It's not like I planned for this to be that difficult!"

"No, you just snuck in with forged transcripts..." Weiss rolled her eyes. "And without prior training or education."

"...I'm _really_ starting to not like this show." Jaune sighed.

 **"So you're from Fog Academy, huh? Nice to meet you," Asuma said to Haku as his new 'team' walked around the campus with him. The cigarette in his mouth was lit and hung from his lip as he talked. "In case you hadn't already guessed, I'm familiar with these three troublemakers."**

 **"Asuma! Such slander to leave your lips!" Naruto crossed his hands over his chest and pouted at the older man. "How could you say such a thing to your favorite student?"**

"I thought it was that Kakashi guy that taught him?" Ruby squinted her eyes in thought.

"There's more than one teacher, obviously." Weiss retorted.

 **"You were the Old Man's favorite, Naruto. Not mine." Asuma chuckled as the blond squawked in outrage. "So, care to fill me in on why your permission to Vale was revoked?"**

 **"That's our leader's fault." Kurama huffed.**

 **"Oi! From what I hear,** ** _you're_** **the one that told Coco, Kurama!"**

"Gonna make a fox-tail belt."

"Yang!" Blake said in outrage.

Weiss looked mildly interested at the notion. "Not a scarf?"

"Nope. I could lose it. Belts stay where they belong." Yang huffed.

 **Naruto shot back with a glare. Kurama glared back at him from behind his shades and the two pressed their heads together, glowing gold and red eyes locked. "If you could've just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened!"**

 **"No! If you could've kept your virgin dick in your pants and gone to class like the rest of us, then it wouldn't have happened! This is** ** _your_** **fault!"**

 ** _"My_** **fault!? How is it** ** _my_** **fault that Yang snuck into our room!?"**

"I bet their code is eight-zero-zero-eight-five." Yang grinned. Pyrrha looked vexed at this while Jaune covered a laugh with a cough. Weiss looked appalled along with Blake.

"Eighty thousand, eighty-five? Am I missing something?" Ruby asked, utterly confused.

"Oooh! I get it!" Nora laughed while Ren shook his head, despite the amused smile on his face.

 **"You're the idiot that left the security locks down,** ** _idiot_** **!"**

 **"Okay, okay, settle down boys." Asuma cut in with a smile as he pushed the two hotheaded teens away from one another. He looked between them and laughed. "Ah, man, I'm glad to see you two haven't changed much since you left Kon."**

 **Kurama huffed and looked away from the blond with his arms crossed. "I'm pretty sure** ** _one_** **of us changed."**

"Please," Yang scoffed. "We were at second base, at most."

"No need for details, my poor brain can only take so much abuse." Weiss groaned. "I can only imagine how embarrassed Ruby would be."

"Eight-zero...Oh! I get it!" Ruby burst into giggles. "Boobs."

Weiss palmed her face and Yang grinned.

 **"Oi! You want to go, Fuzzbutt?" Naruto asked as he glared at the Faunus.**

 **"Naruto, let's not get ourselves in any more trouble than we already are," Haku said calmly while he gave Kurama a small dirty look. He agreed that both had good points on faults, but Kurama** ** _was_** **the one that volunteered to lead Coco to the room while he and Sasuke were held in Yatsuhashi's massive arms by their necks.**

"Saving his own skin, or would it be fur?"

"Weiss," Blake drawled. "We talked about this."

"…Yes, but I don't like _him_."

"Su-u-re you don't." Yang sang.

"Quiet, you."

 **Asuma laughed and wiped a small tear from his eye. "This is so nostalgic. I'm glad to see you found a new Sakura to keep yourself in check, Naruto."**

 **Kurama smirked and Naruto let out a small laugh while he rubbed his neck. Haku furrowed his brow in confusion when he saw Sasuke grimace and turned to their new watcher. "I'm sorry, who?"**

 **"What? You don't know who Sakura is? ...Well, I guess the power couple really did cut all ties," Asuma said as he looked at Sasuke with a small smirk.**

 **"Don't. You. Dare." Sasuke glared at the older Huntsman.**

"An old flame it seems." Ren hummed.

"I wonder if she likes pink?" Nora tilted her head in thought.

 **"Sakura is Sasuke's ex-girlfriend," Kurama said with a smirk. He ignored the burning glare that his partner gave him. "They broke up at the end of the year when they had an argument over which school they should go to. She's the source of his librarian fetish."**

 **"For the last goddamn time, I do** ** _not_** **have a fetish!"**

 **"Sure, and Kurama doesn't want to chase a certain bunny," Naruto said with a nod. The whiskered teen grinned when the Faunus and his partner glared at him. "What? Not my fault you're both stuck on the sinking ship of Denial."**

"I'd ship it!" Nora proclaimed proudly.

"It is kind of cute." Pyrrha said as she smiled slightly. Ren and Jaune nodded in agreement.

Blake rolled her eyes. "It's a bit cliché..."

"She's too good for him." Weiss huffed.

"Ah, so the bad boy needs some Weiss to cool down?"

"Yang, I will deck you."

"Love to see you try."

 **"Screw you, Uzumaki." The two partners growled.**

 **"Naruto was probably one of her first friends and, as they grew up, became akin to a sister to him." Asuma continued. He chuckled when Naruto wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered.**

 **"Those punches...she's a monster, I swear..." Naruto whimpered. "Always broke through my Semblance..."**

"Wow...That's interesting." Yang mused.

 **"Was hers a strengthening one as well?" Haku asked.**

 **"No, that was righteous feminine fury," Sasuke said dryly while Naruto let out a pitiful whimper.**

"Ohh, I can do that." The blonde smiled and buffed her nails on her bountiful chest. "I do that all the time!"

"Right after they pluck your hair."

"Shush, Ruby."

 **"As fun as it is to go down this trip through memory road, I think we should have a small test to see if any of you have slacked off since you've been gone," Asuma said with a small smile as he took his cigarette from his mouth and dropped it to the ground, where he extinguished it with his foot.**

 **Team NHKS lost all sense of humor as the four boys gained excited and determined looks on their faces.**

 **"So, uh, Ms. Yuuhi, how do Naruto, Kurama and Sasuke know you?" Ruby asked the red-eyed woman while they walked through the school grounds, dressed in their usual Hunter gear.**

"You're so nervous around her." Pyrrha pointed out.

"She's really professional looking, I get nervous!" Ruby poked her fingers together sheepishly.

 **Kurenai turned and smiled at the girl. "I don't know them personally, but they and Asuma have a long history together due to their ties with his father."**

 **"His father?" Weiss asked curiously.**

 **"Hiruzen Sarutobi." Kurenai blinked in surprise when the girls winced or frowned at the name. "So, you already know how he died?"**

 **"The Fourth War killed him," Blake said, a frown on her face. He was a human that was a member of the White Fang before their methods changed, a speaker for Faunus rights that wasn't a Faunus.**

"Is that a thing?" Weiss asked.

"Yes," Blake said somberly. "It was rare, _very_ rare, but it was a thing."

 **His loss was devastating to all who wanted equality for Faunus, and for the White Fang to ignore it, it was sickening.**

"Without a doubt." Blake scowled, her fists tightly balled.

 **Kurenai nodded. "It was a large blow to the village. To lose such an avid supporter of Faunus equality and an old member of the village's council. If he hadn't ensured Kakashi's campaign, I fear that most children would've gained some...unsatisfactory traits."**

 **"Like?" Ruby fished, her teammates perking their ears up in interest. The three boys from the small city-village of Kon always talked about their home, but they never really said anything. They would reminisce and describe adventures long passed, but it was all so vague! And Haku was no better, but Team RWBY would take what they could get.**

 **"Another time."**

 **The girls deflated and groaned lightly. They just couldn't catch a break.**

"Seriously, we need to see this place. I demand a visual!" Yang shook her fist in the air.

"We'll probably get a view of it later," Ren said with a small shrug.

 **"I'm more interested in getting to know the team I've been assigned." Kurenai smiled lightly as they stopped and sat at a small table. Her eyes drifted over to Weiss. "Perhaps we should start with our resident celebrity."**

 **"We have a celebrity? Where?"**

 **"Funny." Weiss glowered at Yang before she looked at her new watcher. "What do you mean?"**

 **"Well...hm." Kurenai leaned back and tapped her chin. "I suppose I should go first in that case." The woman gently smiled at the girls. "My name is Kurenai Yuuhi, I've been a Huntress for eight years now. My goal, nearly complete since our transfer has gone through, is to teach at one of the Four Great Hunter Academies in Remnant and start a family with my partner."**

 **"Partner?" Yang asked.**

 **"Asuma." Kurenai clarified with a smile as she lifted her left hand. A small red monkey was etched into her third finger, just above the knuckle.**

"I'm confused." Ruby scratched her head.

"What's with all this monkey business?" Jaune asked with a grin. He looked around the room. He was nailed in the face by a handful of popcorn courtesy of Yang. "Everyone's a critic."

 **The girls raised their brows in confusion and Kurenai laughed lightly. "It may be tradition to use a ring, but I didn't want to risk losing or having the engagement ring stolen while on a mission, so I got this tattoo to show that I was taken. It also keeps our relationship hidden from any enemies, since it's so small and hard to find."**

 **"That's..."**

 **"So romantic." Blake flushed lightly when her teammates looked at her. "What? It is."**

"That's really sweet." Blake agreed.

Weiss sighed dreamily. "Like out of a fairytale."

 **"I think so, too. Especially since Asuma has to walk around with a white flower on his finger." Kurenai smiled lightly as she looked at the mark. She looked up at her new team and then looked at Weiss. "Well?"**

 **"O-Oh, right, um..." Weiss shook her head to rid herself of the jealousy she felt. "I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust company, as you all know, but I don't want to just be known as a rich business woman. I want to do something meaningful with my life, save and protect people. So I decided to become a Huntress. I want to be the best Huntress I can be and...and hopefully one day put an end the stupid rumors about my company, even if they turn out to be true."**

 **Yang and Blake smiled brightly at their teammate while Ruby's lip trembled before she clung to the older girl.**

 **"That's so beautiful, Weiss!"**

Ruby, like the alternate version of herself, hugged Weiss. "I'm so moved!"

"L-Let go of me, stupid!"

 **"G-Get off, Ruby!" Weiss grunted and tried to push Ruby off, which elected laughter from the other three present.**

 **"It was very heartwarming, Weiss," Kurenai said with a smile as Ruby released her teammate. She looked over to Blake. "Now, perhaps another infamous lady would like to speak up?"**

 **Blake started and the girls all tensed as they looked at Kurenai. The older Huntress arched a brow.**

 **"Do you** ** _really_** **think Ozpin would keep us in the dark? Or that I wouldn't notice your bow twitches every now and then?" Kurenai's smile widened slightly as the Faunus flushed.**

Yang turned to Blake, a sly look on her face.

"Yang..."

"Well, Blake, it looks like-"

"Don't you dare-!"

"The cat is out of the bag!"

"Ugh..." Blake palmed herself in the face. "I hate you. Hate you so much."

"Aw, I love you too, Blake." Yang grinned as she threw an arm over her partner's shoulders.

 **"I don't care, if you must know. I've had quite a few Faunus friends in my time on this world, both those that had decided to leave the White Fang after it turned into what it is and those that decided to stay."**

 **"...My name is Blake Belladonna," Blake said after a moment was taken to let all of Kurenai's words to sink in. Blake clenched her hands into fists slightly on the table. "I used to be a member of the White Fang, had been since I was young, but after I realized that it wasn't what it used to be, that the new tactics worked for all the wrong reasons, I decided to leave. I wanted to get away from what I was a part of, what I've done, and decided to put my abilities to greater use. I want to find a way for Faunus and Humans to coexist in peace and protect the people I once sought to hurt."**

Ruby looked ready to hug Blake too, but the Faunus tossed her a cookie as a distraction.

"Double chocolate chip! Yay!"

Weiss sent the smirking Faunus an annoyed look. Mostly because she didn't think of that and had to suffer her team leader's glomp.

 **"Admirable," Kurenai said with a smile while the other girls' smiles grew with her. She leaned forward slightly. "Now, this goes for all of you, so listen up. If any of you have any concerns or worries, don't be afraid to approach me. I'm here to help you more than I am to watch you."**

 **The girls nodded and Ruby raised her hand.**

 **"Can I go next?" Ruby asked. Kurenai smiled and nodded, which made the young girl beam. "I'm Ruby Rose, team leader of Team RWBY! I love weapons and fighting Grimm, and I've been doing it for a long time with my uncle Qrow. My goal is to...to be the best team leader and Huntress I can and help the rest of my friends accomplish theirs all while protecting Remnant!"**

"Gah, too pure!" Yang covered her eyes. "She shines too bright!"

"Shunt uhp, Yung!" Ruby grumbled out around the cookie she was still chewing.

"Finish chewing your food before you speak, Ruby." Pyrrha wrinkled her nose.

 **"Aww, that's so sweet, sis." Yang teased with a smile. Ruby flushed when the rest of her team smiled at her the same way.**

 **"W-Well, you guys are my friends, so why wouldn't I want to help you?" She said.**

 **"It's a very good goal, Ruby, and maybe as you get older, you'll find another more specific, personal reason," Kurenai said as she put her hand on the young team leader's shoulder. She turned to the last team member and arched a brow. "And now perhaps we shall hear from our resident troublemaker."**

 **"Well, our most** ** _recent_** **troublemaker," Weiss said as she smirked at her partner. Ruby pouted at her while the others laughed.**

"…Ouch," Ruby said, her big doe eyes looking to Weiss and warbling with tears.

"You know I meant it in kindness," The heiress said, refusing to acknowledge the adorable look on her partner's face.

 **"Okay, where to start?" Yang mused once the laughter had died down. "I'm Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's older sister. I like to fight and beat up stuff, Yang out with my friends-" There was a group groan from her teammates that Yang pointedly ignored as she spoke with the older Huntress. "-and just have fun. I decided became a Huntress so I could travel the world and help people in the process. Aside from the fact that it ran in the family, I mean. I...my goal is to find someone so I can get some answers."**

 **The group waited for Yang to clarify, but she didn't continue. Yang just continued to glare at the table while her fists clenched. Her eyes had flickered between lilac and red for a brief few moments before she exhaled.**

 **"And ...I want to see where I go with Whisker Boy." Yang smiled lightly.**

"Nowhere good, I'm sure."

"Oh be quiet, Ice Queen."

"Hey!" Weiss protested to the name on reflex.

 **She looked at Blake. "You know, thinking about it, that double date with you and Sun sounds like a barrel of fun!"**

"Or a barrel full of monkeys!" Jaune exclaimed, only to get a pancake to the face, which made him fall to the ground in pain. "Agh! Syrup in my eye!"

"Humph." Nora crossed her arms.

"That's what you get, Puke Boy." Yang smirked and sent the orange-haired girl a grateful nod.

 **Blake flushed bright red and glared at her partner while Weiss and Ruby laughed. Kurenai smiled, but she filed away Yang's anger at this mysterious 'someone' as something to be a bit concerned about. Deciding to deal with it later, Kurenai's smile became mischievous as she looked at Blake.**

 **"Who's Sun?" she asked. Blake flushed lightly while Yang grinned widely.**

 **"A hunky Faunus Blake stole away for a day."**

 **"That is** ** _not_** **what happened." Blake growled.**

 **"That's not what Naruto says~" Yang sang.**

"You should believe me over your new boyfriend." Blake pouted.

"I could, but..." Yang pinched her cheek affectionately. "It's more fun this way."

Blake swatted the hand away. "Don't do that."

Yang just moved her hand to scratch Blake behind her bow. The Faunus was torn between looking cross and blissful. She was definitely cross when Yang stopped.

 **Ruby snickered and whistled innocently when Blake glared at her.**

 **Weiss crossed her arms and scowled lightly. "Sun Wukong is a no good degenerate that's an old friend of Uzumaki's. The two managed to drag Blake into a scheme that resulted in her being targeted by a high-ranking member of her old group."**

 **"Wow, last time I look to you for any compliments, Ice Queen." The five females looked up to see a familiar blond-haired, monkey-tailed Faunus lounging on a tree branch above their table. Sun grinned and gave a small wave at the group. "Hi girls! You wouldn't happen to know where Naruto is do you? I checked his dorm, but, uh, there was a problem with it...it was sort of destroyed."**

 **Yang grinned up at him. "We had a** ** _Yanging_** **time."**

Ruby threw her hands in the air. "That doesn't even make sense!"

"It does to me." Yang shrugged. "And really, that's all that matters."

 **"Oh, come on Yang, that was terrible! It didn't even make sense!" Ruby chided her sister.**

 **"Yes! I called it!" Sun ignored Ruby's outburst and pumped his fist. He tapped his chin and then peeled a banana, his thinking food. "Now, how to congratulate the little dude?"**

 **"Mr. Wukong, was it?" Kurenai cut into the Faunus' plans as she inquired his name. "You wouldn't happen to be acquainted with a man named Roshi Wukong, would you?"**

 **Sun blinked and swallowed the banana bite that was in his mouth before he flipped down from the tree branch and landed on the table. He pointed the remains of his banana at the woman with wide eyes. "You know Grampa Roshi!?"**

"Oh god, there's more?" Weiss asked, horrified at the notion.

"Of course there are." Blake rolled her eyes. "Faunus don't just rain from the sky."

 **Kurenai used a finger to push Sun's hand down and gave him a flat look. "You're related to him, all right. Roshi Wukong, known by such names as Master Wukong, Hermit Roshi, and recently using the alias 'Son Gokū', is a notorious Hunter..." Kurenai scowled and glared daggers at Sun. "And an absolutely shameless pig!"**

"Called it!" Weiss declared with a smug smile.

"Oh come on, you're going based on hereditary ties?" Blake complained.

"Well, if the shoe fits!"

 **Sun's smile vanished and he relocated himself on the opposite side of the table, far from Kurenai's grasp, and cowering from her glare. "Oh, that's why you know Grampa."**

 **"We've run into each other more than once." Kurenai grit out with her glare still locked on the Faunus.**

 **"Um...Is he bad?" Ruby asked innocently.**

 **Kurenai looked at her calmly. "He's a known associate and partner to The Toad Sage...both men have been declared enemies to** ** _all_** **females, Human or Faunus. They peek on girls in baths, saunas, even perch themselves outside of windows at some times."**

Weiss arched a brow and smirked at Blake.

"That doesn't mean Sun is like that." The Faunus said firmly.

Weiss' look clearly disagreed.

 **"Yep. That sounds like Grampa." Sun muttered, something Blake caught as she gave him a confused look.**

 **"The Toad Sage?" Ruby asked again.**

 **Kurenai frowned. "The only known alias of the man that writes the** ** _smut_** **known as 'Ninjas of Love'."**

 **Blake glared at Yang when she looked ready to speak up. "I will cut you up into little pieces and scatter you across the globe."**

"Harsh." Yang pouted at her partner.

"It's justified." Blake countered.

Weiss wrinkled her nose. "I find it deploring, Blake."

"It has great plot." The Faunus retorted.

"And smut."

"…That's beside the point."

"That _is_ the point."

 **"Party pooper. No cake for you." Yang huffed and pouted as she rested her head on the table in disappointment. She wanted to know what Kurenai would do to – wait, all she has to do is not specify! Genius. Yang grinned and looked at her new mother hen. "So, what if we know a girl who has a copy of this** ** _smut_** **?"**

Blake balled her fists and glared at the blonde beside her. "Yang!"

Yang was too busy grinning up a storm to care.

 **Blake flushed bright red and glared daggers into the back of Yang's head.**

 **"Give me her number," Sun said with a chuckle.**

Yang nudged Blake and let out a catcall whistle.

"I will burn you."

"I'm already too hot for fire to affect me at this point, kitten."

 **He wilted under Kurenai's glare and slunk out of sight. "J-Just joking."**

 **"Burn her book and give her something far more appropriate to read," Kurenai said simply once she had cowed the grandson of Roshi Wukong into silence.**

Blake nearly fell out of her seat from hearing this.

"It has merit," Weiss said thoughtfully.

 **"And if she insists to read** ** _Ninjas of Love_** **?" Yang pressed on. She was aware of her partner's eyes trying to bore into the back of her skull, but she didn't care. This was way too funny.**

 **"Well, we can't all be perfect," Kurenai said with a sigh. "My opinion of her will be low, but if she so choses to read it I just hope this girl reads it somewhere** ** _far_** **away from you. So long as she doesn't read** ** _smut_** **in public, I can't really fault her. I've got my own questionable readings at home...just none of them were written by The Toad Sage."**

Blake's face burned. Was she really being judged on her reading material? That was stupid!

Stupid Yang being stupid.

 **"This man sounds like an enormous nuisance, why is he not arrested?" Weiss asked with a frown.**

 **"He may write trash, but he's good at covering his tracks," Kurenai said with a frown. "I only know about Roshi Wukong's involvement because he's so shameless about it. He practically crows his perverse nature to the world."**

 **"That's definitely Grampa Roshi." Sun nodded in agreement. He cupped his chin and frowned. "I wonder if that's why my Mom didn't want me to go to a school in Vacuo."**

 **"I knew you were a degenerate. This only proves it's hereditary!" Weiss scowled at the monkey-tailed Faunus.**

"See! My other self agrees with me." Weiss huffed with superiority. "I'm correct."

"That hardly proves anything."

 **"For your information, Ice Queen, I steal and stowaway! Not write dirty books!" Sun argued back.**

 **"Blake, I strongly suggest you dump him!"**

 **"Hey!" Sun pouted.**

 **"I can't dump him because we aren't even dating!" Blake snapped.**

 **"Yet."**

 **"Shut** ** _up,_** **Yang!"**

"I would," Yang snickered, "but it's seriously way too funny."

 **"Wow, Kurenai, how'd this all happen?" Asuma asked in amusement to his slightly irate fiancé. He and Team NHKS, the four boys scuffed up and cut lightly on their arms and legs, had come across a strange sight after their spar.**

 **"Asuma, I** ** _will_** **make you sleep outside." Kurenai warned while she watched her team argue. And by argue, she means watch Yang get choked by an infuriated Blake while Ruby cheered her sister on to "fight back" and Weiss argue with Sun over his degenerate acts, while the Faunus was encased in a block of ice from the neck down.**

"…I am so glad we're the normal team." Jaune said in content.

"Oh yeah." "Totally." "I quite agree."

Team RWBY glared at Team JNPR.

They were normal...Sort of...

 **Naruto snickered as he walked up to his pen pal. "Geez, Sun, if you wanted to** ** _chill_** **, you didn't need to ask Sneeze to help you."**

 **"Get my name right, Uzumaki!" Weiss snapped with a glare. She pointed at Sun. "This-this-this ruffian is a degenerate, no-good, thief and perverted spy!"**

 **Sun was too busy snickering at the joke Naruto made to refute the accusation.**

 **"...And your point is, Sneeze?" Naruto asked with a grin.**

 **"...I** ** _despise_** **you." Weiss hissed.**

"Get used to him, Weiss." Yang smirked at the girl.

"I can feel the pain of my other right now." The heiress dramatically sighed.

 **Naruto pouted and covered his chest.**

 **"Your cruel and cold words dig a wound so very deep into my warm noble heart."**

 **"I mean, letting the Schnee heiress freeze some poor kid and watching as one girl tried to choke another out..." Asuma grinned at Kurenai.**

 **"You're on thin ice, Sarutobi." Kurenai glared at him and then looked at his team. She took notice of their scuffed and disheveled forms, as well as some light bruising. "What the heck happened to them?"**

 **"Asuma wanted to test us," Sasuke said with a small smile. He looked at his appointed watcher. "We should do that again."**

"So we basically end up killing each other while they get to have a fun spar? Boo! I demand a trade!" Ruby commanded with sugary authority.

"Could be worse, we could have that Guy dude." Blake shivered. Those eyebrows just had to be alive!

 **"It was a very good learning experience," Haku said with a nod.**

 **"Says you," Kurama said with a scowl. He cradled his tail to his chest protectively. "A damn tree nearly crushed me and broke part of my tail!"**

 **Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're such a drama queen, Kurama."**

 **"Says his majesty."**

 **"Screw you, Ōtsutsuki."**

 **"Bite me, Uchiha!"**

 **"I'm sorry, would the both of you like some protection for tonight or are you going bareback?" Asuma asked with a challenging raise of his brow. Haku, Naruto and Sun burst into laughter while the girls of Team RWBY stopped what they were doing to stare at the now red partners. Kurenai clapped a hand on her face before she smacked her fiancé's arm.**

"Okay, that was good. Nice one beard guy." Jaune whistled, he wanted to be that cool.

 **"Ruby's only fifteen, Asuma! Watch your mouth!" Kurenai glared at her amused partner with angry red eyes. Asuma held his hands up in surrender.**

 **"Sorry, sorry," he said. "To keep these rowdy boys in check, you really have to know what makes them shut up. Naruto, Haku, stop laughing or I'll trap you both in another sphere."**

"Sounds like they had a _ball_." Yang smirked.

Ruby groaned again, "My ears feel like they're bleeding."

 **Haku and Naruto's mouths snapped shut.**

 **"Blond boy in ice, I doubt you'd like to stay that way for the night," Asuma said to Sun, who lost any sense of humor he had at the thought of being left outside in the cold.**

 **"His name is Sun Wukong," Kurenai said with small frown.**

 **Asuma arched a brow. "What, like Roshi?"**

 **"He's my Grampa!" Sun added.**

 **"Ah." Asuma nodded. "That would make sense. Naruto, break him out and behave yourself or I'll limit you to one bowl of Ramen tonight."**

"Kick him below the belt." Jaune mumbled with a frown. "It would be kinder."

 **The horror that crossed Naruto's face made Ruby burst into laughter. Ruby's face matched Naruto's when Kurenai spoke up.**

 **"And Ruby, I'll be fixing that sweet tooth problem of yours."**

 **"Serves you right, sis," Yang said with a light chuckle. She rubbed her neck and punched Blake in the shoulder lightly. "Save rough play for the double date, Blake."**

"Orgy!"

"Nora!" Ren snapped with a frown.

"Whoops! Sorry!" the ginger giggled.

 **Blake glared at her with red cheeks, but kept herself from lashing out while she rubbed her arm. Light or not, Yang's punches hurt. They watched as Naruto walked around and examined the cube of ice that contained his friend. Naruto hummed and pressed his flat palm against one side. The hand moved up, down, left, right and then settled on a spot just above Sun's belt buckle.**

 **"Don't move, or this could** ** _really_** **hurt." Naruto warned his friend and Sun became absolutely still. Naruto brought his hand back and clenched it into a fist, before it swung forward and struck the ice. Naruto pulled his hand away from the ice and took a step back as the block fractured. The ice shattered into small portions, each no bigger than a thumb.**

"Now _that_ is talent." Ren praised.

 **"...Okay, that was hot." Yang mused with a grin as she leered at her boyfriend after he freed his friend with one blow. That was more skill than it was strength.**

"I just said that." Ren frowned.

Nora rolled her eyes. "No need to sulk, Ren."

 **Naruto grinned back at her. "You ain't seen nothing yet, Yang."**

 **"Down boy," Asuma said to his assigned pupil. While the two teams began to talk civilly with one another, he looked to his teammate, partner and fiancé with a raised brow. "So, what do you think Aoba is doing?"**

 **"Most likely finishing the repairs to the dorm," Kurenai said. She shifted uncomfortably. "...Have you seen Gai?"**

 **"Not since Goodwitch let us run off with our teams." Asuma reached into his pocket and pulled out a package of cigarettes before he put one in his mouth. Once it was lit, he took a small drag and then exhaled softly so that the smoke wouldn't rush out in a massive cloud. He looked up at the sky and hummed. "We haven't heard any screams yet, so-"**

 **"OH GOD WHY!?"**

 **"YOSH! FEEL THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH, MY NOBLE STUDENT!"**

 **"Never mind. There it is."**

"…Why does that sound like my voice?" Jaune paled, the rest of his team paling as well.

"Sucks to be you guys." Ruby commented.

"Why?!" Jaune screamed and glared at the ceiling. "Why do you enjoy tormenting me?"

 **"This is too good! PJ got assigned to Guy!? Oh, I've gotta see this!" Kurama burst into laughter. The Faunus pulled a camera from his pocket and rushed away, his partner not far behind him. Sasuke needed to see if Guy had changed since they left Vacuo – something he doubted – and he wanted to see if Guy's gym class uniform was still mandatory for training.**

All of Team JNPR looked catatonic.

"My pink!" Nora finally broke her team's silence.

 **"Wait for me!" Naruto cried out as he ran after his two friends, grabbing Yang's arm in the process. "This is going to be priceless, come on!"**

 **"Who's Guy?" Sun asked and Haku smiled lightly.**

 **"A very eccentric man from what I've seen." The feminine boy answered the Faunus. Haku patted Sun on the shoulder. "I think you'll enjoy it."**

 **"Probably." Sun agreed with a grin as they followed after the rest of Team NHKS and Team RWBY.**

Nora cried into her hands, "Why do you enjoy our suffering?! Don't we go through enough?"

Jaune just patted her arm, tears in his eyes. "I know, Nora, I know your pain."

 **A second after the teens had vanished, Asuma smirked and pulled his cigarette from his mouth. He turned to his partner in everything but name and arched a brow. "So, what do you think so far?"**

 **"Ozpin was right," Kurenai said with a small frown. She crossed her arms under her chest. "Ruby is very childish, Blake is isolated and distant, Weiss is confidant to the point of arrogance, and Yang is more affected by her mother's disappearance than we had previously thought."**

"…Ouch." Team RWBY said in unison.

"So that's your guys deals? Wow, way to put it right there into the open." Nora said, nibbling on a comfort pancake.

 **"That's what I figured." Asuma nodded. He let his arm slip around his fiancé's shoulders and smiled at her when she looked up at him. "Good thing they've got you to count on, Kurenai. There's no one I would rather trust with a fresh rookie team than you."**

 **"Better than having them under your care, Smokestack." Kurenai teased.**

 **"Careful. Those are fighting words." Asuma grinned back at her. They shared a quick kiss before Asuma separated from her and they followed after their teams.**

Weiss and Blake sighed. "So romantic."

"Get a room." Yang shook her head, a smirk on her face. The two girls glared at the blonde.

 **"I was right. This is a** ** _gold mine_** **!" Kurama squealed as he began to take pictures of Team JNPR while they were all dressed in matching green spandex suits with red bands around their waists and orange leg warmers on. "PJ is never going to live this down."**

 **"Uh-huh, right, PJ..." Naruto mumbled as he stared at Nora and Pyrrha.**

Pyrrha looked red in the face and Nora blanched.

"I don't wear green for a reason! And _that_ is the reason why~!" The pancake-obsessed girl cried, crocodile tears pouring down her cheeks.

 **He grunted when Yang elbowed him and gave her a small glare. "What? Hormones, geez. Can't help myself. Besides, I see you staring at Ren."**

 **"True, but I'm free to ogle what I want, you can't be trusted with wandering eyes." Yang countered with a smirk.**

"Double standard B.S." Jaune grunted, only for Pyrrha to nudge him.

"Language."

 **"...That's so not fair."**

 **"That's life for you in a nutshell, Whisker Boy."**

 **Naruto crossed his arms. "Girls get all the luck."**

 **"No, we get periods. It's life's way of maintaining balance." Yang smiled at him.**

Ruby frowned, "That's not fair at all."

"You're just upset because your first period happened in public."

"Yang!" Ruby screamed, her head as red as her hood.

 **"True, but still, let's both agree to** ** _try_** **not to ogle anyone else when we're doing something together."**

 **"Agreed."**

 **Kurenai stared at the two blonds in disbelief and looked at her fiancé. "Were we ever like that?"**

 **"Us?** ** _No_** **. No. Not at all. I'm pretty sure you were always trying to kill me for looking at other women or for smoking a cigarette nearly twenty-four seven," Asuma said with a small smirk.**

 **"...Is it wrong that I'm jealous?"**

 **"No, they should be jealous. They'll probably never have makeup sex."**

 **"...True."**

"…Damn, now I am jealous. Make up sex sounds awesome." Yang frowned. She snapped her fingers and grinned. "I've got it! Other me, start a fight with Whisker Boy!"

Blake palmed her face at her partner's idiocy.

 **"Ah! Asuma! Kurenai! You bring your youthful students to join mine!" Guy beamed boisterously. "If Aoba was here, we could let them see a true team powered by the Springtime of Youth!"**

 **"Just heard your training session and came to investigate, Guy," Asuma said. The new teacher shrugged and punched his student in the gut, causing him to crumple to the ground and wheeze.**

 **"Work it, PJ! Work it!" Kurama cackled as he continued to snap pictures like a professional. "Give us a roar, PJ, yeah!"**

"…My suffering better pay off." Jaune warned the ceiling, giving it a good wag of his finger.

 **"Kurama...really likes taking pictures," Ruby said softly as she scooted closer to Weiss and** ** _away_** **from the Faunus.**

"Protect me, Weiss!"

"L-Let go of me Ruby! Honestly!"

 **Weiss only stared and nodded. Both Sun and Blake had their eyes glued to the 'spar' occurring in front of them, the former with a wide excited grin and the latter with narrowed eyes.**

 **"Guys, help!" A slightly scuffed up and bruised Jaune decreed from the ground. He tried to army crawl towards his sidelined teams. "Tag me! Tag me!"**

 **Ren looked at Pyrrha. "Think he's had enough?"**

"YES!"

 **"I'm sure he could go one more round," Pyrrha said with a small smile.**

Jaune looked at Pyrrha with pained betrayal written on his face.

"Why?!"

 **"Pyrrha, why?!" Jaune cried as a hand grabbed onto his ankle and dragged him away from the side.**

 **"It's for your own good, Jaune." Pyrrha and Ren drawled while Nora held up a sign.**

"That's why." The warrior girl pointed out.

 **"Go Jaune! Bust his kneecaps!"**

 **"Nora, tag-gah!" Jaune was cut off as a muscled arm wrapped around his neck.**

 **"You know what? I think today is probably the best day of my life so far," Naruto said with a smile. Yang turned to her boyfriend and arched a brow.**

 **"Really? Why's that?" She asked while Jaune screamed and cried in pain in front of them.**

"Stop ignoring my pain!"

 **"Well, for one thing, I got to spar against one of my favorite teachers from Kon Academy again," Naruto said as he nodded back towards Asuma. "Managed to witness first hand destruction between two girls. Got to see two girls in skintight clothes – ow, just saying."**

"Watch it buddy." Yang warned sternly, her eyes locked on the whiskered blond on the screen.

 **Yang crossed her arms under her bust and frowned slightly after she had punched him in the shoulder. "Is that all then?"**

 **Naruto smirked at her and let an arm slip around her waist. "No, best part about today? I got a total babe for a girlfriend."**

 **Yang grinned back and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "Don't you forget it, Whisker Boy."**

"Get a room already," Weiss gagged.

"We would, but Coco totally destroyed it."

 **They shared a kiss that would've deepened had their respective assigned teachers not pull them apart. The two blondes grinned at one another as they were dragged to opposite sides of the sidelines.**

"Oh god, I'm going to be an aunt before I get my license…" Ruby groaned.

"Hey!" Yang frowned at her sister's totally rude and uncalled for remark. "I'm not that bad...It's mostly his fault."

"Oh, yeah. Sure it is." Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes.

 **Kurama had a wide grin on his face as Guy called an end to the spar and Team JNPR gathered around their leader. He looked through his camera pictures and his eyes, concealed by his sunglasses, gleamed.**

 **"Best. Day. Ever."**

"No, no it was not!" Jaune ranted and stood up, "There is only so much abuse I can take! I am done with it, all of it!"

Ruby held out a cookie, "Comfort food?"

"…Thank you." Jaune said, taking the offered treat and ate it, crying manly-ish tears. "It's so salty."

"The cookie or the situation?" Pyrrha asked.

"Both." Jaune whimpered.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **. Nor do I own "Kick Ass" by MIKA & RedOne**

 **VA Vol. 2 Opening**  
 **Song: "Kick Ass" – MIKA & RedOne** **  
** **Track time(s): (0:00-0:25) (2:03-3:12)** **Run time: 1:34**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XI: Nerds**

"Aw, man, they changed the intro?" Ruby asked as a different scene showed on the television.

"Well, it is a new season, Ruby." Weiss explained. "Not every show has the same theme, it's usually dramas that do, and even then, opening scenes change nine times out of ten because of new characters."

"But the first season's intro was fine!" Ruby complained.

"I'm sure this one will be okay," Blake said.

"Shh! I'm trying to listen." Nora shushed the three.

 **[** ** _We are young / We are strong / We're not looking for where we belong! We aren't cool / We_** **are** ** _free / And we're runnin' with blood on our knees!_** **]**

 **[During the introduction chorus lyrics, images of young (age six-ish) Naruto, Kurama and Sasuke are flashed in front of the screen: Naruto is running from older people with cans of paint in his hands, laughing; Kurama is scamming a couple of kids before he has to cheese it when an angry customer comes after him; and Sasuke is walking happily with his older brother, whose head remains out of the camera's view, before he is bowled over by Naruto and Kurama, Naruto's cans of paint flying into the air and dousing the three in their contents. As the piano keys play and the song jumps ahead, time flashes by and shows the three back in Beacon, standing in Ozpin's office with Asuma and Haku.]**

 **[** ** _Why do they know about us? / Are they thinkin' of you or of me?_** **]**

 **[As the piano plays in the background, Ozpin pushes a file forward and Naruto picks it up. The four boys crowd around the file before they look back at the headmaster and nod. Team NHKS leaves the room in a rushed manner and the camera turns to Ozpin, who has an amused smile on his face while Asuma laughs and walks calmly out after them. The chorus begins again and the camera pans out to the shining sun.]**

 **[** ** _We are young / We are strong / We're not looking for where we belong! We aren't cool / We_** **are** ** _free / And we're runnin' with blood on our knees!We are young / We are strong / We're not looking for where we belong! We aren't cool / We_** **are** ** _free / And we're runnin' with blood on our knees!_** **]**

 **[During the chorus' repeat and the techno beat, a second of Jaune and his team training with Guy is shown before it transitions to the four fighting against Team RWBY in the cafeteria and the camera pans up to Team NHKS, watching them from above. The camera focuses on Haku, where it then transitions to him and Sasuke in the CCT. The camera moves to Sasuke, showing him scrolling through a newspaper with a title of 'Uchiha Massacre', before the scene transitions back to a younger Sasuke with his brother, the shadowed man plucking Kurama off of his brother. He carries them and has Sasuke follow to clean them off with a hose. The song closes on the three boys getting in a mud fight, a camera snaps and the show title appears above and below the picture held in a mysterious hand with nails painted purple and a ring on the finger.]**

"Now that was really cool." Nora grinned as the beat bounced around in her head.

"It seems that we'll learn more about the three boys in this one." Pyrrha added.

"Still, it's a shame that we don't see Weiss and Kurama giving each other angry sex eyes anymore." Yang grinned.

"Blake, hold her down."

"Whoa! Didn't know you were kinky, Weiss!"

 **"I think I'm going to be sore for the rest of my life and part of my death." Jaune groaned as he walked towards the cafeteria with his team. It had been a week since he'd been introduced to his new appointed teacher and since day one, he'd regretted it. He glared at Pyrrha when she let out a small giggle. "Some partner you are. Leaving me to take most of Professor Guy's beatings..."**

"I could sue, you know!" Jaune warned.

"When it comes to training?" Ren raised a brow.

"…Why must you Ren on my parade?"

Yang pursed her lips, a begrudging approval in her eyes. "Okay, point to you…for now."

Jaune pumped his fist in victory and Weiss looked offended.

Yang had to be biased to the blonds. It was the only explanation!

 **"You asked me to help you train, Jaune. Sometimes training is just that." Pyrrha smiled at her partner and team leader. She gave him a small pat on the shoulder, which made him wince. "Besides, you were the one who informed him that you didn't know what your Semblance was yesterday, not me."**

 **"An admission I will regret for all eternity." Jaune grumbled as he hung his head. He looked over at his other teammates, giving the two long-time friends a small glare. "And what's your excuses for leaving me high and dry like that?"**

 **"I can barely breathe in that suit," Ren said with a shrug. "Why try to fight?"**

 **"You were doing fine until he got you with that kick to the head!" Nora smiled at her team leader. She wagged a finger at him. "I keep telling you to aim for his knees, not my fault you didn't listen."**

"Seriously, take out the legs and they are lambs to the slaughter." Nora scoffed, why didn't anyone ever listen?

 **"First of all, he kicked me in the head at the start of the fight...I think. It's all kind of fuzzy after nearly a week of beatings," Jaune said as he rubbed his head. He shook himself out of the thoughts and glared at Nora. "Secondly, I could barely hear anyone over the sounds of my own screams."**

 **"You should've stopped screaming then," Nora said with a simple shrug.**

 **Jaune glowered at her and then at Ren. "Does she even** ** _know_** **what pain is?"**

 **Ren shrugged. "It's hard to tell sometimes."**

"What is this concept of pain you speak of?" Nora squinted her eyes in mock confusion.

"That's not funny." Jaune drawled. There was no way that Nora was an unfeeling tank. That'd be nuts.

 **"Duh, it's an unpleasant feeling caused by intense or damaging stimuli, like stubbing your toe or getting walloped by a hammer." Nora scoffed. Her teammates gave her odd looks and she pouted. "Hey, I'm not dumb, just a bit...um...Ren?"**

 **"Distracted?"**

 **"Yeah, distracted! Thanks Ren!"**

"See, I'm smart!" Nora grinned like a maniac.

 **Pyrrha shook her head and gave Jaune a smile. "Look on the bright side, Jaune. If Professor Guy continues this way, you'll discover your Semblance in no time."**

 **"That or I'll die trying."**

 **"That's the spirit!" Pyrrha beamed.**

"…How can you smile like that?" Jaune complained to his partner.

"Oh…you were being sarcastic?" Pyrrha asked, worried she upset him.

"...That's got to be on purpose." Jaune told himself as he hung his head.

 **"I swear you wouldn't know what sarcasm was even if it hit you in the face." Jaune grumbled sourly as he pushed the cafeteria door open. He was moments from getting in line behind his teammates when an arm slung itself around his shoulders.**

 **"PJ! How's life with Guy?" Kurama asked, ignoring the pained look that crossed his friend's face. Jaune opened his mouth, but it was covered by Kurama's hand. "Wait, don't tell me." The Faunus held his camera up and gave a fanged grin. "I already have an idea."**

 **"...You're evil." Jaune grumbled. Kurama had done nothing but jeer him on and taunt him with catcalls.**

 **"Am I? Am I really?" Kurama asked.**

 **"Yes."**

"Like a villain!"

"Quiet, Weiss." Blake drawled.

"I stand by my statement." Weiss huffed with her nose up.

 **A brow arched over his sunglasses. "If I was truly that evil, I would've already dispersed copies of this all over the school. Your reputation would be ruined."**

 **"What reputation?" Jaune asked sourly.**

"Don't remind me, Me." The blond sulked.

 **"...Hm, touché." Kurama looked at his camera. "So, I can just go ahead and hand these out, right?"**

 **"I thought you didn't like bullying?" Jaune asked.**

 **"I don't. It's a truly detestable act, but this is mere teasing, my friend. And you are my friend, Jaune," Kurama said with a small smile. He patted the sore blond hard on the shoulder. "You just happen to be the lamest of them all."**

"I thought that was Weiss?"

"I am _not_ his friend!" the heiress told Yang sternly.

"But you admit to being lame?" Yang countered with a grin.

"I-! You-! Argh!" the white themed girl screamed in frustration.

"You take too much pleasure in this." Blake told her partner.

Yang, still grinning, shrugged while Ruby tried to calm her partner (and besty) down.

 **"Wow, I feel so relieved. Did you hear the sarcasm in that sentence, because I meant it," Jaune said dryly.**

 **"I'm rubbing off on you so well." Kurama sniffed, pocketed his camera and wiped a tear away from his eye. "You make me so proud."**

 **"Shut up, Kurama." Jaune grumbled. He sighed and rubbed his arm. "Besides, those pictures would ruin Pyrrha's rep, too."**

 **"But would that be a bad thing?" Kurama asked.**

Judging by the thoughtful look on her face, Pyrrha honestly wasn't sure if it would be that bad.

 **He relaxed and became slightly more serious as he nodded towards the redheaded warrior. "Look at your partner, Jaune, and then look at everyone around her."**

 **Jaune looked at Pyrrha, watched her as she spoke to Nora in line, possibly trying to get the girl to eat something other than pancakes. His gaze washed over the lunchroom and he saw many students sneak glances at her and then return to their small groups.**

 **"Okay, so she's popular. Wouldn't that be bad for her if you got those photos out then?" Jaune asked once more.**

 **Kurama sighed and scratched his head. "I keep forgetting that most of the students here have not been taught like I was. Most went to places like Signal or Sanctum."**

"At least he somewhat understands." Pyrrha murmured with a heavy sigh.

Jaune frowned at his partner, his eyes apologetic, and was given a reassuring smile in return.

 **"Or didn't go at all," Jaune said with a frown.**

 **Kurama nodded to that. "Indeed, but keep in mind that the first Hunters didn't have a school to use as a crutch, Jaune. They had to learn by trial and error, and that usually meant learning from word of mouth about another's death at the hand of a Grimm."**

 **Jaune gave a small smile to that. "Thanks, Kurama. Sorry about the whole sourpuss thing...Getting beat up by Professor Guy-"**

 **"** ** _Professor_** **? No, don't call him that. Might Guy is** ** _just_** **Might Guy. He's not a teacher, er, well, not born to be one, anyway.**

"Then why is he teaching us?" Nora asked before she drank her cup of syrup.

"Because he came with the rest of the teachers?" Ruby suggested.

"Fair enough."

 **If it were up to me, I'd ensure he'd have never been a teacher back home," Kurama said with a shudder. "Some of that stuff he had us do was downright crazy."**

 **"...L-like what?" Jaune asked nervously. If the past week was bad, it can't get worse...right?**

 **"I'll let you find out for yourself." Kurama decided after a moment of silence. He smiled at his friend. "Just try to remember he has your best intentions in mind...and maybe go apologize to your team."**

 **"...Okay," Jaune said. He was a bit unnerved and slightly worried by Kurama's choice of words, but did feel bad about the way he'd snapped at his team. It wasn't their fault that they'd been assigned a psycho as a teacher.**

"Yeah, it's all Goodwitch's…" Jaune scowled at the thought of the woman.

 **Seated not far from Team RWBY, Kurama watched Jaune talk with his team with a small smile on his face. "He's got maybe three more days before Guy puts him in the emergency room trying to figure out what his Semblance is."**

"Wow, I was gunning for two days."

"Nora!" Jaune exclaimed.

 **"Three days? Yeah right," Sasuke said as he sat down to join his partner. He had a small black book in his hand and held it in front of him like one of their old professors used to. "He'll be in the hospital by tomorrow night for sure."**

Jaune gave Sasuke the finger.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha scolded.

"He deserved it!"

 **"How are you walking around with that book and not getting creamed for it?" Kurama asked.**

 **Sasuke tapped the spine with his finger. "Covered the title and author. People who ask what it is, I tell them its called** ** _Duality_** **. When asked who wrote the book, I tell them the author is Anonymous."**

"Isn't that the book you were reading, Blake?" Ruby asked the Faunus.

Blake blushed. "It's a real book and I _was_ reading it!"

Yang gave her a sly wink. "Uh-huh, sure you were."

"I _was_!"

 **"...But what if someone tries to read it over your shoulder?" Kurama asked.**

 **"Please, my sense of awareness is far too high to-"**

 **"'** ** _Oh, Nimato! Yes! There! Right there!'_** **"**

 **Sasuke snapped his book shut and turned to glare at his team's leader as well as the whiskered teen's snickering partner. He looked around nervously and sighed in relief when he realized no one had heard Naruto's reading of the current scene.**

"…Nimato?" Weiss questioned, "A bizarre name."

 **"I hate you, Uzumaki. So much."**

 **"Sorry for the blue balls, but Asuma wanted us to eat fast and then join him by Ozpin's office. Apparently some big brass is heading in from Atlas," Naruto said as he let his hands intertwine behind his head.**

 **Sasuke arched his brow as he tucked his book into his vest. "And we've been requested because...why?"**

 **"Asuma said it was because the crow flies far when it has a message to deliver," Naruto said with a shrug. "Personally, I'd rather stick around and eat with Yang, but with the amount of trouble we're in already, we should probably lay low for a bit and -" Naruto shuddered. "Obey the rules."**

"Oh the agony," Weiss said dryly.

"Right!?" Ruby and Yang nodded. "It can be such a downer."

Weiss shook her head. Those two were terrible.

 **"...By Oum's will I'd never thought I'd hear you say that." Kurama mused.**

 **A pie suddenly flew into Weiss' face and Team NHKS looked over at Team JNPR. Jaune and Pyrrha were as shocked as they were while Ren had his face in his hands and Nora pointed at her partner accusingly.**

 **"...So much for that whole 'lay low' thing," Haku said dryly.**

 **"FOOD FIGHT!"**

 **"RUN AWAY!"**

 **"MOMMY!"**

"Yes, this was awesome!" Ruby beamed. "I wonder what NHKS will do?"

 **Kurama clasped his hands together and ducked his head down. "Please don't let this be like the Lunchroom of Doom incident."**

 **"Yeah, uh, I think this can only end one way. So, as team leader I strongly suggest we only observe...From the high ground!" Naruto declared with a finger thrust in the air. While the other students fled the cafeteria, the whiskered blond and his team relocated to the banisters above, seated comfortably as they looked down at the two warring teams.**

"…Boo! You guys are boring!" Ruby jeered with a pout, she wanted to see them fight too!

"Hey, they get a free show. If I was in their shoes, I'd do the same thing," Yang said with a grin.

 **"...Team JNPR really built that castle fast." Haku noted.**

 **"Meh, I've seen better," Naruto said with a shrug. He tilted his head as Nora started to sing. "If she's Queen, does that make Ren her King or her Knight?"**

"Oh! Well, uh, you see…" Nora mumbled. She decided to find her pancakes very interesting at the moment.

 **"First of all, Ren's a Bishop," Kurama said as he held a finger up while his other hand held his Scroll up to record the scene. "He's too fast and swift to be a Knight. If anything, Pyrrha is the Knight."**

"Of valor and justice?" Ruby asked with stars in her eyes.

"Um, sure?" Pyrrha blinked.

"So. Cool." Ruby breathed out.

 **"And Jaune?" Sasuke asked.**

 **Kurama shrugged. "PJ's either the Rook or Pawn."**

"Rook, I'm a Rook." Jaune swore. No way was he a Pawn of all things.

 **"Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!" Ruby declared with a finger pointed at the opposing team while she held a carton of milk in her other hand. The carton was crushed as she narrowed her eyes and bared a fist to Team JNPR. "It will be...delicious!"**

 **"Yeah!" Weiss, Blake and Yang declared with their fists raised.**

 **"Off with their heads!" Nora shouted with a cackle as she dropped down from her castle.**

"A tad dramatic, sure, but I found it appropriate for the lowly rebels." Nora agreed with her other.

Ruby aimed a finger at Nora, "We will dethrone you someday!"

"Try as you may, peasants! The Pancake Queen will reign supreme! AHAHAHA!"

"Excuse me?" Weiss raised a brow.

"Oh, just play along." Nora whined to the heiress.

 **"Damn, those are some juicy melons," Naruto said as he stared down at Yang. He looked up when he felt stares from his teammates. "What? Those watermelons that Yang is destroying are** ** _huge_** **!"**

 **"Oh, you meant the fruit. We thought you were talking about something else," Sasuke said.**

 **Naruto frowned in confusion. "Like what?"**

"Mine aren't _that_ big." Yang snorted.

 **"...Oh, look, Sun brought a friend," Kurama said to change the subject. He was not going to be subject to a 'we were staring at your girlfriend's breasts' conversation with his team leader. Probably wouldn't be good for team dynamics.**

"Not really, I don't like that talk either." Ruby agreed, referring to her own very modest bust.

 **"I wonder who that guy is – Ouch, that had to hurt," Naruto said as he watched his girlfriend take a long piece of rolled bread to the gut. "And they say that breadsticks are nothing but empty calories."**

 **"Interesting use of ketchup," Haku said thoughtfully. He winced when Ren slipped and crashed into a bunch of tables. "That'll hurt in the morning."**

Ren sighed with tired eyes. "It did. A lot."

 **Kurama nodded in agreement and watched Nora perform an impressive dismount that ripped a pole from the wall and stabbed it into a watermelon to make an impromptu hammer. "Six out of ten. Dismount was a bit shaky and there's a perfectly good ham much closer to her. Those are far more durable than watermelons."**

"I wanted to go for the splash effect." Nora pouted at her poor scoring. "Mean ol' fox!"

 **"Tell that to Ruby," Naruto said as he watched his fellow team leader go flying after Nora nailed her with the watermelon hammer.**

 **"Alright, seven point three, but I won't raise it any higher."**

Nora nodded firmly. "That's better. "

 **"Since when did the lunchroom serve swordfish?" Sasuke asked in bewilderment.**

 **"It's a special today," Haku said with a frown. "And I was looking forward to my cooked bass, too."**

 **"Told you to stock up right away, but** ** _no_** **," Naruto said as he crossed his arms. "No one ever listens to me.**

 **"Weiss, no!"**

 **"There goes that support pillar," Sasuke said dryly.**

"How did the building not cave from that breaking?" Weiss asked. Her back was sore for a few days after that particular impact.

 **"I think it's for decoration," Kurama said.**

 **Naruto waved the two off. "Guys, shut up! Yang is facing off against Ren...That sonovabitch just snuck a look under her skirt!"**

Ren held up his hands as Yang looked at him. "I didn't mean it, I swear!"

"Meh, it's cool." Yang shrugged. "I was wearing a skirt. I don't blame you."

Ren groaned into his hands while Nora laughed at him.

"Ha! You're a perv!" she giggled.

 **"Easy, Naruto. Yang was the one who decided to kick him." Haku pointed out.**

 **Naruto pouted childishly. "Yeah, but...but that's** ** _my_** **job, dammit!"**

 **He perked up when Ren was smacked down into a pile of tables. Team NHKS watched from above as Nora and Yang made eye contact. The two girls rushed at each other and the four boys began to debate the outcome of the matchup.**

 **"Nora's insane strong," Sasuke said. He crossed his arms. "No way she loses."**

 **"Yeah, but this is Yang, we're talking about. The 'Fem-Naruto'," Kurama said dryly. The two looked at their whiskered friend, who cupped his hands around his mouth.**

 **"Go Yang! Kick her ass, babe!"**

"Aw," Nora pouted as Yang cheered with her other's boyfriend. The pancake queen turned to her friend. "Ren, why weren't you cheering for me?"

"…I was knocked through a table."

"Oh, that's not a real excuse!" Nora puffed up her cheeks.

 **"...Point taken," Sasuke said as they looked down at the fight.**

 **"Yang may have stronger blows, but I believe Nora has the better reach." Haku surmised. "I'll have to side with Nora on this one. Sorry Naruto."**

 **"Tch, you just watch while Yang kicks Nora's as-!" Naruto's proud and assured retort was cut off as his girlfriend rocketed into him and they both broke through the ceiling.**

 **"...So, yeah, Nora wins. I see it." Kurama amended himself as he and his teammates stared at the hole their friends had made. "Think they hit orbit?"**

"I did start to heat up…" Yang confessed with a frown.

 **"Its possible-Whoa! Since when could Nikos do** ** _that_** **?" Sasuke asked as hundreds of Everyone Loves Grape soda cans were directed by the redheaded beauty to fly at the sausage-armed Blake.**

 **"Since forever," Kurama said dryly. "Her Semblance is polarity."**

"I try not to broadcast it," Pyrrha said.

Ruby looked at her. "Then why did you do that?"

"I wanted to have a little fun." Pyrrha fiddled with her fingers sheepishly.

 **"Interesting. No wonder she's never been hurt by an opponent in the tournaments and has not missed a throw with her spear," Haku said. "A most effective Semblance in tournament fight, and her control over it is great if she's never lost because of her Aura bar dropping."**

 **"I feel bad for whatever person is put up against her in the Vytal Festival Tournament," Sasuke said. He was unaware that a few miles away, in Vale, a young man with silver hair sneezed and his mint-haired companion teased him.**

"Hey, Merc and Em, cool." Yang smiled at their sort of buddies.

 **"Same." Kurama nodded. They grabbed onto the banister when Ruby's hurricane of food made by her Semblance eviscerated Team JNPR. "And the winner is Team RWBY."**

 **"You must admit that Ruby is quite adept with her Semblance as well," Haku said thoughtfully. "I've never seen a person so well trained with her speed."**

"I drink all my milk, it helps wonders." Ruby nodded confidently.

 **"Indeed."**

 **The three boys turned to see Asuma standing on a nearby banister, a frown on his face and an unlit cigarette in his mouth.**

 **"I believe I told you three to hurry and meet me in Ozpin's office." Asuma arched a brow as the three boys became solemn. He looked around and his frown increased. "Where's Naruto?"**

 **"Probably on the moon by now," Kurama said dryly.**

"He totally ditched them," Jaune tisked them in shame. "Some leader."

"Hey, I'll redact those points." Yang frowned at the diss to her other's beau.

 **They looked down when the doors slammed open and a furious Glynda Goodwitch, followed by an equally upset Kurenai and Guy, strode in past the two dumbfounded teens that had a front row seat to the food fight. Goodwitch waved her hand as a few plates flew at her, stopping them mid air with her telekinetic abilities that she was never afraid to hide. Another wave set the tables, chairs, soda machines and every other item back in place.**

 **"...That's...concerning." Haku mused.**

"And nightmare fuel, can't forget the nightmare fuel!" Jaune chimed.

 **"Glynda Goodwitch is a highly ranked Huntress for a reason, Haku," Asuma said. He pointed towards the ground. "Now...Move or be moved. Your choice."**

 **Wisely, the three teens dropped down to the ground and landed with little difficulty. Asuma dropped down behind them and nodded to his teammates.**

 **"Children..." Goodwitch began through gritted teeth. "You should** ** _not_** **play with your food."**

"…Waa! She's so scary!" Ruby cried out, hugging Weiss for comfort.

Weiss had long since given up on stopping this behavior.

 **Team JNPR and the three girls of Team RWBY ducked their heads in shame...until Nora burped and the seven teens burst into snickers. Yang and Naruto's abrupt landing between the two groups made more laughter known as the two blondes got to their feet and grinned at each other.**

"Oh, there he is!" Jaune pointed mockingly.

"Looks like Waldo caught me." Yang mused with a smirk.

"Who the heck is Waldo?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head.

"Oh right, I drew in all those books before you could play with them. I'll explain it later."

 **Goodwitch scowled and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by another voice.**

 **"Let them be, Glynda." Ozpin advised with a small smile as he watched the two teams interact while Naruto slipped over to his team when he caught Asuma's gaze.**

 **"They're training to be Hunters of Remnant, Professor Ozpin, they cannot act like children." Goodwitch argued.**

 **"Yes, they are...But for now, we'll let them be children and in the meantime, their punishment for this will be decided by their current handlers," Ozpin said to the two teachers, who nodded and approached their teams. He looked over at Asuma and Team NHKS before he left the room. The headmaster turned and started to leave, only to stop when he came across Sun and a teen covered in purple liquid.**

 **"You should probably hurry off to get those washed," Ozpin said to the teen. "I hear Everyone Loves Grape stains."**

"Like you would not believe!" Weiss griped and looked at Ruby, who was still holding her waist, in mild anger.

"I said I was sorry for staining your combat skirt!"

"You still owe me for the dry cleaning bill."

"I would help pay if you didn't go to the super expensive one!"

"They do their jobs right!"

"But it's so expensive!"

 **"Er, uh, yeah, g-good idea." The nervous young man nodded frantically before he grabbed Sun's shoulder and pulled him out of the cafeteria, the monkey-tailed Faunus protesting as he did.**

 **"Asuma, please if you and your team would accompany me to my office?" Ozpin asked while he calmly left the cafeteria, Goodwitch not far behind him. Asuma nodded and led the four teens out after the headmaster.**

 **"So...What's up, Prof. O?" Naruto asked once the doors to Ozpin's office closed behind his team. Asuma moved to the other side of the room and stood behind Ozpin as the headmaster took a seat behind his desk. Goodwitch was on his right, her Scroll opened and her eyes reading through it carefully.**

 **"I believe that our...first joint problem will soon be resolved," Ozpin said as he prepared himself some tea. "However, I've received dire news from an acquaintance of mine concerning the Fourth War."**

"And he drops the bomb just like that." Yang grimaced. "Not cool."

"Best to just rip off the bandage, Yang." Pyrrha chided.

"I know, but I seriously do not like these guys."

Weiss scoffed. "Whoever likes terrorists?"

Blake frowned. "Um..."

"Present company excluded, of course."

"Better."

 **Naruto's hands dropped from behind his head and his face grew serious, Kurama scowled and his tail flicked angrily while his arms crossed, Sasuke's hands tightened into fists while he clenched his jaw, and Haku's smile fell as his shoulders tensed.**

 **"Are we certain that they should be informed of this, you aren't–"**

 **"Professor Goodwitch, with all due respect,** ** _I_** **was the one that requested that my team was kept informed," Asuma said firmly. His hard gaze met Goodwitch's own unsure one before he looked back at the four boys. "These four boys are probably the** ** _only_** **four people in this school with any** ** _real_** **interaction with the Fourth War, the White Fang, and what Qrow has dubbed the 'Queen's Scheme'."**

"Whoa, Uncle Qrow is doing black ops, awesome." Ruby smiled, wondering how her uncle was doing.

 **Haku furrowed his brow. "Queen's Scheme?"**

 **"Do not worry about it," Asuma said. He lit his cigarette with a match, despite the look of disapproval on Goodwitch's face, and then took a drag before he continued. "What we want you to know is that we've received word from a trusted source that there's a slight possibility that the White Fang and Fourth War are working together."**

 **"That's impossible!" Kurama snarled while his sunglasses flashed red. "The Fourth War was established to end the lives of** ** _all_** **Faunus, the White Fang especially."**

"That's…troubling." Pyrrha surmised everyone's thoughts.

"More like twistedly messed up." Nora blurted out.

 **"The White Fang aren't too fond of Humans, either," Sasuke said with a scowl. "They're complete opposites in goals. What would they gain by working together?"**

 **"...Who would ever expect them to work together?" Naruto proposed with a frown. His teammates looked at him in confusion while Ozpin gained a small smile. "It's nearly perfect, but the fact that this was discovered by an outsider means that it was not intentional. There's a third party, has to be, for this to be discovered. Both groups are now part of a grander scheme...the 'Queen's Scheme."**

"But who is the queen?" Ruby asked, rubbing her chin in thought…while munching on a sugar cookie.

"Me!" Nora sang.

"I knew she was trying to take over the world." Weis mumbled under her breath. And her teammates claimed she was paranoid!

"Pancakes of Doom to my foes!" Nora cackled.

 **"We believe so, yes," Ozpin said. He took a sip of his tea and sighed as he set his cup down. "And that is why we are trusting your team with this information. The four of you have the most knowledge on the Fourth War in all of the student body, mostly because three of you have been personally affected by their attacks and the fourth - "**

 **"What Haku has done in the past shall stay there unless** ** _he_** **says otherwise." Naruto cut in firmly as he glared at the headmaster. Naruto put his hand on his partner's shoulder, and the morose look that had overcome him drained away. "I don't care if he was part of the Fourth War, a Faunus Rights assembly attack, or even a robbery with that dip Torchwick. Haku's** ** _my_** **partner and friend and it's my duty as his partner and team leader to trust him to tell us about himself when the time comes that he sees fit to do so."**

Yang pouted. "Well now that just makes me want to know more."

"True, they aren't very open about their pasts." Pyrrha agreed.

"It's a guy thing, Pyrrha. We play it close to the chest," Jaune said in an attempt to be suave.

"It's dumb." Blake drawled.

"...Yeah...well, can't argue that..."

 **"We're not here to learn about our teammate," Sasuke said firmly.**

 **"Get on with the real issue already," Kurama said, his scowl still present on his face.**

 **The three adults were silent after the interjection and strong opinions of the three from Vacuo. Ozpin, after a moment, lifted his mug to take a sip and conceal a smile. When he placed his mug back down, Ozpin's neutral look had returned.**

 **"Fair enough," he said. "The reason you four are here is that you four have the most experience concerning the Fourth War and are certainly among the top tier as one of the best teams to start in this Academy. If not for some, ahem, property damage and tomfoolery, I'd daresay you'd be among the best in the world."**

"Lies." Weiss scathingly objected. Her team was number one!

 **The four teens grinned at the praise.**

 **Ozpin folded his hands together as he continued. "Therefore, it is your duty as one of the greatest teams to ensure the safety of Vale during the upcoming Festival. Your punishments have been revoked and as headmaster, I authorize you to revoke or instill similar punishments with the permission of your assigned watcher. You, Team NHKS, will be responsible for ensuring this school's safety from threats both within and external."**

"Whoa, like a splinter cell, or something else dark and edgy." Ruby was bouncing in her seat. "Oh! Oh! I want to do all the sneaky stuff!"

"It's not that fun." Weiss and Blake said together.

"Still, them getting the right to punish people," Jaune grimaced, "Not fair."

"Asuma has to give them the okay though, so hopefully he's reasonable." Ren comforted dryly.

"Yeah…" the blond drawled.

 **"Thank you, Professor." The four boys nodded.**

 **"Be safe, be careful, and be mindful of everything and** ** _everyone_** **around you," Ozpin said. He turned to look at Asuma. "With this said, I leave them in your care, Asuma."**

 **"Thank you, Professor Ozpin." The teacher nodded before he looked at the four boys. "Let's go."**

 **"One final word of advice," Ozpin said before they could leave. "The first students from Haven should be arriving sometime today. And I know that the students from Atlas along with their headmaster, General James Ironwood, should be here as well. I believe you ought to know."**

 **"We'll keep it in mind, Prof. O." Naruto nodded before he led his team out and Asuma followed them.**

 **Goodwitch huffed and folded her arms under her bust. "I don't agree with this. They're just as young and prone to trouble as the girls in Team RWBY. They should not be given such power."**

"Yeah, if Weiss had that power, we'd be marching in matching white shoes and combat skirts." Blake agreed.

"I made one tyrannical comment and you hold it over me forever!" Weiss went red in the face, "It was a joke!"

"A bad one."

 **"I agree, but what power have I given them really?" Ozpin asked. He stood and went to his window in the clock tower, staring out at the clouds. "Those four boys are special, but make no mistake, they will not abuse the right I've given them. Ms. Belladonna is likely still troubled from the events of the night on the docks. Her team will assist her in quelling these doubts or concerns by any means necessary, even if that means going behind our and Ms. Yuuhi's backs. The connection they have with Team NHKS will allow them to do such things with a loosely observed permission."**

 **"...I thought James was the one with the military expertise," Goodwitch said as she joined her friend by the window.**

 **"Mm, indeed he is." Ozpin smiled secretively as he spotted a gleam in the distance. "However, every good general has a good intelligence officer beside him."**

 **"Is that what you think yourself to be?" Goodwitch asked. "An intelligence officer?"**

 **"Hardly." Ozpin scoffed. He took a sip from his mug and sighed. "I'm a mere teacher, no more and no less."**

"…Man, he is just so cool." Ruby beamed, "We're so lucky to be his students."

"I would actually love to see how he teaches a class, it would be thrilling." Pyrrha mused.

Weiss nodded in agreement. "It would be a sight."

 **"Haku, find out everything you can on the recent movements and attacks by the Fourth War over the past ten years. I want patterns of attacks, notable members, anything we can use." Naruto instructed his partner as they entered Beacon's library building. After they'd changed out of their school uniforms in their refurbished dorm room, Asuma had suggested the four went off to 'study' while he prepared with the other teachers for the students of other schools' arrival. Naruto, in a rather out of character moment, led his team straight to the Library.**

"That was…well put." Weiss forcibly stated, her jaw tight.

Yang smirked, "That painful for you, _Sneeze_?"

"Quiet."

 **"On it." Haku willed a Mirror to manifest in front of him before he disappeared off to the Current Events section.**

 **"Kurama, you're going to be checking and double checking the background of every student that's gone into and out of the guest schools over the past three years."**

 **"You spoil me, Naruto. I'll have their birthdays marked on eight separate calendars by the time everyone else is done." Kurama chuckled and interlaced his hands together before he cracked his knuckles. He turned towards the Records department, eager to do some hardcore hacking into the systems of other countries' school databases.**

 **"Sasuke, I want you to memorize every nook, cranny or crawlspace that can be found in any building that the students are going to room in."**

"Uzumaki being a capable leader…I feel like the world is going to end." Weiss muttered to herself. She glanced at her team leader, who was currently munching down on another sugar cookie. Why couldn't Ruby be like that?

 **Sasuke arched a brow. "What are you going to be doing?"**

 **"Um, duh." Naruto looked to his left where two teams were seated and then grinned at Sasuke's look of disbelief. "What? Come on, man, I gotta make it seem like we're all still playing it cool. And you're a dick, so you're automatically suspicious."**

"This is true," Juane agreed. "Sasuke is a dick."

"More of a duckbutt." Nora corrected.

"Eh, they're the same thing in this case."

 **"You just want to make out with your girlfriend."**

 **"Those are your words, not mine." Naruto grinned and patted Sasuke's shoulders. "C'mon, don't act like you hate it. You love crawling around in those dark spaces, you antisocial vampire, you."**

 **"First of all, that's not even a denial. Secondly, I don't** ** _mind_** **it if its needed, but I don't** ** _enjoy_** **it.**

"It's like the network of tunnels I've built." Nora cheered. Everyone leaned to look at the girl in bewilderment, then to her friend who usually explains the random or frightening comments she makes.

Ren shrugged. "First I've heard of it."

 **Those are two different things. And finally, you owe me a favor in return," Sasuke said firmly with a poke in his team leader's chest. "A big one."**

 **"Deal." Naruto grinned as Sasuke walked off. "You're a pal, Sasuke!"**

 **"Whatever, Uzumaki. Be sure to keep it sacred and keep it safe," Sasuke said over his shoulder while he walked out of the library.**

 **Naruto grinned as he snuck up on Yang, who was relaxed as can be while she played a board game of some sort with her team. Ruby, seated across from Yang, was far too engrossed in her hand of cards to notice Naruto. Bell, on Yang's right, was either just as focused as Ruby or lost in her own thoughts. And finally Weiss, on Yang's left, looked like she was trying to figure everything out.**

"I still don't understand that stupid game." Weiss pouted.

"I hear you." Blake nodded.

"Well if you both weren't stuck in your own little worlds, we'd have had more fun!" Yang huffed. "I mean, I'd have still won, but you know."

 **Heck, the only one who seemed to notice him was Ren, and the boy gave him a small look of annoyance when he did.**

 **Not that Naruto cared. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, unless someone empowered by RFF (Righteous Feminine Fury) said otherwise.**

 **Ren was not one of those people.**

 **"Hm, I'd use that one next," Naruto said as he peered over his girlfriend's shoulder at her hand. He never actually played** ** _Remnant: The Game_** **before, but he'd had a good idea of what needed to be done. However, this was not important, for there was hilarity to be had.**

 **All of the members of Team RWBY and most of Team JNPR, save for the annoyed Ren, jumped at his voice. Yang's cards jostled from her hands and Naruto caught some before they landed while he laughed lightly.**

"Jeez, jump scare much?" Yang pouted. "He's so lucky he's cute."

"That's debatable." Weiss scoffed

"You're biased, your opinion doesn't count."

 **"Geez, Whisker Boy, a little warning before you do something like that!" Yang pouted at her boyfriend and snatched her cards out of his hand before she adjusted them and the girls fixed their game.**

 **"But then it's not a surprise, Yang," Naruto said. He looked at the board thoughtfully and interlaced his hands behind his head. "So, who's turn and who's winning?"**

 **"Ruby's turn and Blake is winning," Yang said with a small glower directed at her partner.**

 **The disguised Faunus blinked. "I am?"**

"I don't know how," Blake said with a shrug.

"The Heart of the Cards was in your favor." Jaune mused. Blake, Weiss and Pyrrha turned to him with arched brows. "What?"

"The heart of the what?" they asked.

"Heart of the Cards...Little Kuriboh? ...Really, you didn't watch that? Your childhood was terrible."

 **"Uh, yeah," Ruby said with a frown. She looked at her hands and smirked. "Okay, I think I'm ready...Yang Xiao-Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"**

 **"Bring it on!" Yang returned heatedly as she pumped her fist.**

 **"I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby cried as she held the card above her head.**

"Maybe it'll work out this time!" Ruby hoped. She pumped her fist. "Go Mantle, go!"

"Dream on, baby sis." Yang smirked.

 **Yang gasped and put a hand on her chest in horror.**

 **"Looks like I get to fly over your Ursai and attack your walls directly," Ruby said as she began to animatedly discuss and act out her attack. "And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts one turn."**

 **"...Obviously the simulation that should be used in the real world," Naruto said lowly while his girlfriend smirked at her younger sister. He shook his head and decided to look for something to read since Yang was a bit preoccupied with her game to start making out. He never did deny Sasuke, after all.**

"I hear that, he should just do it anyway." Yang whistled wolfishly.

Ruby blanched. "Gross, I don't want to see that."

"Tough cookies, Rubes."

 **"I'll admit, that was pretty sneaky, sis," Yang said as she set her hand down and picked up one card slowly. Her gaze became hard and narrowed as she revealed the card. "But you just activated my trap card!"**

"Ha! Even in another time I still beat ya!"

Ruby pouted and shook her fist at Yang. "Darn you, Yang!"

 **Naruto frowned as he flipped through a nearby copy of the hit comic series** ** _Little Kuriboh_** **. "Where have I heard that line before...?"**

Jaune snickered. "Heh, Atlas rage."

 **"You don't mean!?" Ruby squeaked.**

 **"That's right,** ** _Giant Nevermore_** **!" Yang declared as she slammed her fist on the table.**

 ** _Note to self, don't play board games with Yang. She gets_** **very** ** _into it._** **Naruto mused as he turned the page and chuckled. "Heh, the sun will rise. Oh, Timothy Taylor, you make me laugh."**

 **Naruto listened to the girls play their game and snickered when Weiss admitted she didn't know what was going on. After Yang explained it – along with not too subtly warning that she "will not forget a declaration of war" – and a teary Ruby said Weiss could win in three turns, Sneeze started to cackle. Naruto looked up in mild alarm as the girl went slightly power mad.**

"See? This is why we don't leave you in charge of things, you're too tyrannical." Blake commented.

Weiss just fumed, she was not a dictator! ...She just had big goals in life!

 **Naruto then chuckled when Yang crushed those plans mercilessly and the two partners embraced tearfully.**

 **"I hate these cruel games of emotions we play."**

 **"Stay strong, Weiss."**

 **"Shut up, don't touch me."**

 **Naruto snickered when Weiss hugged Ruby tighter despite her words.**

Ruby opened her arms up for a hug.

Weiss gave her a deadpan look. "No."

"Aww."

 **Yang turned and smirked at her partner. "Alright Blake, you're up."**

 **"Uh, yeah...I'm sorry, what am I doing?"**

 **"What a riveting and attention focused group you are." Naruto drawled. Yang gave him a look and he ducked back into his comic with a small brown fuzz ball on the cover. "Shutting up."**

Yang smiled fondly. "They learn so quickly."

"Or he was trained by a previous girlfriend."

"Blake, that's not funny."

Blake shrugged. "It's entirely possible. We've learned he's had some sexcapades before going to Beacon."

"Ew..." Ruby scrunched up her nose in disgust and Weiss scowled. Pyrrha flushed and found her hands interesting. Nora snickered and the two boys in the room remained impassive, silently wracked with jealousy or wrapped up in memories.

"Oh, great, thanks for reminding me." Yang pouted.

Blake smirked. "It's what I do. Partner."

 **"Hey, Ice Queen, mind if I join you?" Jaune asked as he walked over from his table after Yang explained the game once more to her partner.**

 **"You're already losing points, man," Naruto said as he turned the page in his comic.**

"He was." Weiss nodded.

Jaune pouted. "Yeah, I figured that."

 **"What is that supposed to mean?"**

 **"If I have to explain it, then you won't learn."**

 **"That doesn't make sense!"**

 **"You have to look underneath the underneath."**

 **"How does that help!?"**

"I need direct instructions." Jaune grumbled. He ruffled his hair in frustration. "What does all of this mean!?"

"Grow up and learn for yourself." Ren chimed with a small smirk.

"...You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"I try to be."

 **"Yo, little dude!" The teens looked up as Sun approached them with a wide grin on his face and a preppy dressed boy with blue hair that was shaved on the sides and goggles on his head. "How you been, man?"**

 **"Been fine, Sun. Who's the nerd?" Naruto asked with a nod towards the boy with blue hair.**

Weiss squawked and Jaune snickered.

 **"I prefer the term intellectual." The blue haired goggle-wearing boy corrected with a raised finger and a frown on his face.**

 **"Prefer it all you want, but know that denial is an ugly thing." Naruto nodded at his own sage advice.**

 **"That's true," Sun said. He grunted when the blue-haired boy punched his arm. "Ow, what? Just saying." Sun rubbed his arm and looked at the gathered group. "Right, well, Yang. Ruby. Blake. Ice Queen."**

 **"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss asked with a frown.**

"Because it's true." Ruby, Blake, Yang and all of Team JNPR replied.

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "Well, I never!"

 **"Because it's an apt title?" Naruto suggested dryly. He shrugged when she glared at him. "What? Kurama's not here and he'd chew me out if I hadn't said anything."**

 **"How would he know?" Pyrrha asked.**

 **Naruto gave her a smirk. "He's** ** _that_** **good."**

"Eavesdropping ruffian." Weiss muttered spitefully.

"Bow chica bow wow."

"\Weiss turned a heated and red face glared at Yang. "Enough of this!"

The blonde gave a sly grin. "Nah, this is too fun~"

 **"Anyway, guys, I'd like to formally introduce you to an old friend and my partner." Sun continued with a grin to the blue-haired teen.**

 **"I thought libraries were supposed to be for reading?" The goggled teen asked with a frown.**

 **Ren threw his hands up. "Thank you!"**

"Trying to study for Oobleck's test and all this happens." Ren mumbled.

"You still aced it," Jaune said enviously.

"Barely."

 **"Pancakes!" Nora snorted out as Ren's proclamation woke her from her dreams.**

"Well, that just makes me hungry." Nora took another pancake from her snack tray.

 **Sun gave Neptune a quick glare. "Shut up, don't be a nerd."**

 **"Intellectual, okay? Thank you." Neptune corrected firmly.**

 **"You're a nerd, accept it and move on with your life." Naruto muttered as he turned the page in his comic and snickered. "Heh...He's got weird hair."**

 **"I'm Neptune," the teen said with a small wave.**

 **Weiss set her cards down and gave him a welcoming smile. "Really? Where are you from?"**

 **"Haven." Neptune grinned back and walked over to her side. "And I don't believe I've caught your name...Snow Angel."**

 **"Oh come on – are you kidding me?" Jaune crossed his arms and grumbled when Weiss flushed lightly.**

 **"Ha! Irony." Naruto snorted and turned the page of his comic. He then grunted when Yang delivered a quick smack to his stomach.**

Jaune nodded to Yang. "Thank you!"

"It's no problem. Seems he still needs training."

"He broke up with his ex before she could finish, I guess."

Yang sent a look Blake's way.

"...Blake, why you gotta break balls?"

 **"I'm Weiss."**

 **"Pleasure to meet you."**

 **Sun leaned over to Blake with a smile. "So, I never took you as the board game playing type."**

 **"Right...I actually think I'm done playing. I'll see you guys later," Blake said as she set her cards down and walked off. Sun looked back at the group with a confused frown.**

 **Nora grinned back at him and held her arms up in a 'what can you do' manner. "Women, am I right?"**

"Big time," Jaune grumbled while Ren just shrugged lightly. It was tough being the only guys in a large group of girls.

 **"...Right...Always a pleasure to see the 'Love Doctor' in action," Neptune said with a smile to his friend. Sun glared at him lightly.**

 **"Looks like you have an opening now," Jaune said as he moved to sit down. Weiss rose and followed after Blake with Ruby in tow. Jaune hung his head and looked at Yang. "Well, at least we can start a new game, right?**

 **"Nah, I'm just going to win anyway," Yang said with a shrug as she tossed her cards on the table. "I'm out. Come on, Whisker Boy. I owe you for the catch earlier."**

 **Naruto grinned and tossed his comic behind him when Yang grabbed him by his belt. He looked over his shoulder and gave Sun a thumb's up. The blond Faunus returned the gesture and grin before he smacked Neptune's arm lightly.**

"Oh come on, Yang! Really?" Ruby whined.

"What?" Yang asked, a grin plastered on her face. Her other was _totally_ going to rock his world!

"It's in the middle of the day!"

"...Still not seeing the problem here…"

Ruby buried her face in her hands and let out a frustrated groan.

 **"See? That's what confidence gets you," Sun said as he gestured to the disappearing blonde couple.**

 **"...How'd a guy like that get a babe like her?" Neptune mumbled with a frown.**

 **Jaune sighed as he and Pyrrha cleaned up the game Team RWBY left behind. "I ask myself the same question every day, man."**

"He's got slick moves, that's why." The blonde grinned and her eyelids drooped down, lost in thought.

 **"So all you did today was make out with your girlfriend?" Kurama asked as he followed his team leader back to their assigned and refurbished room. Haku and Sasuke had already returned from their respective orders and it wasn't until after Yang was called back by her team did Naruto realize that Sasuke had sent him a message about retrieving their wayward Faunus friend.**

 **It literally took Naruto two hours after he'd gotten the message to drag Kurama** ** _out_** **of the library. And after that, it took ten minutes to placate the Faunus after he'd learned what the whiskered blond had done for most of the day.**

"They did all the work and he played in their stead. Seems fair."

Blake gave her partner a tired look. "Seriously?"

"Well, yeah." Yang shrugged. "I'm the one he got to play with."

"...I will never unhear you say that." Weiss mumbled.

"You're just jealous."

 **"And met one of Sun's teammates," Naruto said, for the fifteenth time. He interlaced his hands behind his head. "Bit of a nerd, that one. His name was Neptune. Had blue hair."**

 **"...Blue?" Kurama asked with a raised brow.**

 **Naruto nodded. "Yep."**

 **"...No freaking way."**

Weiss frowned. "What's wrong with blue hair?"

"It's not natural?" Jaune said uncertainly.

"It's probably dyed." Ren added.

Yang snickered. "Weiss'll just have to see if the carpet matches the drapes."

Weiss turned a glowing red and glared at the blonde.

 **"I'm telling you, it was as blue as the ocean."**

 **"I'll believe it when I see it." Kurama scoffed. "No one dyes their hair blue."**

 **"I don't think it was dyed, dude."**

 **"What, you think it's a Sakura-like thing?" Kurama asked.**

 **Naruto shrugged. "Maybe."**

 **They rounded the corner to their bedroom just in time for them to hear Ruby welcome someone to Beacon. Kurama arched a brow as he looked over the newcomers in the Haven Academy uniforms, black long-sleeved militarized tops with matching pants or pleated skirts. He recognized each one from their files, but their files were** ** _way_** **too clean, even for Haven.**

 **The first on the right, directly in front of Kurama, was a teenage boy with styled dark silver hair. He was well built and had features similar to Sasuke. The look in his grey eyes made Kurama's hidden gaze narrow. Those were the eyes of a killer, someone who was familiar with the ugly side of reality. His file said his name was Mercury Black, and that was the one thing about it that Kurama believed was true.**

"Uh, what? That doesn't make sense, they told us who they were." Ruby blinked in confusion.

"Shush." Weiss hissed at her, eyes narrowed along with the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR.

 **The next, a teenage woman – she** ** _was_** **a woman, her gaze and posture screamed mental and emotional maturity**

"She always was, kind of... mature." Ruby muttered. And she swore she had seen those eyes before.

– **that had amber eyes with a similar gleam that Mercury had. Her black hair cascaded down over her left eye and rested over her left shoulder. She had a sultry smirk on her face before she looked surprised at the two new arrivals in front of her. Kurama recognized her as Cinder Falls, again, the only thing in her file he believed to be honest. Well, that and her height-No, wait, those are heels.**

 **The last was a teenage girl with dark skin and rounded red eyes, eyes that lacked the killer's hardness that her two companions had. Kurama was still wary of the mint-haired girl. Her eyes weren't those of a killer's, but those of a thief. Like himself, the girl had eyes that soaked up every detail it could find and store it away for later after a second's glance. However, that gaze was not present in them now, for her eyes were locked with Naruto's, the whiskered teen's eyes equally wide.**

 **"...E-Emerald." Naruto breathed out.**

 **"Naruto..." Emerald's voice was just as soft.**

"Wait!" Yang cut in, grabbed the remote and paused the screen as it showed Naruto and Emerald in the same frame. She pointed at the two on screen, a frown on her face. "How do they know each other?"

"She's his ex?"

"Do not even joke about this, Blake. I'm serious."

 **Kurama looked between the two and arched a brow.**

 **This...was not good.**

"I totally agree." Yang crossed her arms over her bust and glared at the screen.

"But what was with all that killer talk?" Ruby asked with worry.

"We'll just have to see." Blake said as she took the remote from Yang.

Weiss knitted her brow. "I'd rather not."

"Well, you don't have a vote." Yang mumbled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XII: Irresistible**

Yang had her arms crossed and her foot tapped impatiently as the intro ended.

"Oh, there _better_ be some explanation for this." She grumbled.

"Quiet, the recap's almost over." Blake muttered.

 **"An old friend of yours, Emerald?" Cinder Fall asked the dumbstruck girl. To say she was just as intrigued by this discovery as Kurama was an understatement. Kurama could see it in her eyes. She was not only intrigued, but highly entertained.**

 ** _This woman is dangerous_** **. Kurama thought as he felt out the three's Aura reserves. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.** ** _Yep. Extremely dangerous._**

"Well, they would send their best for the festival, right?" Ruby asked.

"I don't think that's the point, Ruby," Pyrrha said softly.

 **"Emerald? Yo, Cinder asked you something," Mercury Black said when they didn't get a response. He looked at her with a smirk and then at the blond. "You guys got history, I take it?"**

 **"Something like that, yeah," Naruto said softly before he stepped around the shocked girl and went towards his team's bedroom with Kurama not far behind him. Naruto stopped with his hand on the door and his hair shadowed his eyes. "You should get to the other dorms before a teacher reports that you're missing."**

 **The door was opened and the two teens disappeared into the room before the mint-haired girl, Emerald, could say something as she turned to stop him.**

"Ouch." Jaune winced. "Harsh."

"I could make a sculpture out of that tension." Nora blanched. She hated moments like that.

 **"Ouch, talk about getting the cold shoulder." Mercury mused with a smirk. He ducked as a lien card flew past his head and shaved a few hairs off of his head before it imbedded itself in the wall. "Yikes. What's got you so ruffled? Get dumped by the wannabe hero?"**

"What?" Yang cracked, her eyes flashed red.

"Uh-oh." Ruby edged away from Yang.

 **"Mercury, shut up before I rip your tongue out." Emerald glared at the teen with narrowed eyes before she walked away with her head slightly hung.**

 **Mercury tucked his hands into his pockets. "Yep, she got dumped."**

 **"It's a wonder that you're still single, Mercury, really it is." Cinder rolled her eyes as she followed after her fellow female.**

 **Mercury frowned and followed after her. "Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"**

"I don't get it," Jaune said, frowning. "He was just being himself, right?"

"Which is exactly why he's still single, Jaune." Weiss explained dryly.

 **He didn't receive an answer.**

 **"So, want to fill me in on what the hell just happened out there?" Kurama asked his team leader after he shut the door behind them. Haku and Sasuke looked up with confusion written on their faces.**

 **"Not now, Kurama." Naruto mumbled as he sat down on the edge of his bed. He dropped his head into his hands.**

 **"What happened?" Sasuke asked.**

 **Kurama scowled and pointed at the door. "Uzumaki knows three people who** ** _say_** **they're from Haven, but from what documents I could find on them, that ain't the truth!"**

"So, they're bad guys?" Ruby asked.

Blake nodded. "They're bad guys."

"Darn it! And Cinder is so cool, too!"

"They're bad guys in the show, Ruby." Blake explained. "They're not really bad in real life...I hope."

 **"What documents could you find?" Haku asked.**

 **"Any and all required to enter into a school. Good average grades and health reports along with their fighting styles."**

 **Haku frowned. "Is that wrong?"**

 **Kurama scowled. "It's all** ** _too_** **average, Haku. Even some kids who are** ** _average_** **or blend into the crowd have something off about them, something that can make them stand out. Those three? They had not missed a day of class due to sickness, but never got an award for being present."**

 **"Or maybe they ran out?" Sasuke suggested. "Maybe you made a mistake?"**

 **"No. No fucking way." Kurama glared at him. "This is** ** _me_** **, Uchiha. If there's one thing I** ** _don't_** **fuck up, it is my information. My** ** _facts_** **are what keep me afloat.**

"My other should really get some of his info." Yang murmured to herself before she shook her head and glared back at the screen. She wanted to know what the hell was going on between Naruto and Emerald!

 **Those three...** ** _things_** **out there are** ** _not_** **students!" Kurama glared at his seated leader. "And I want to know** ** _why_** **one of** ** _them_** **knew** ** _your_** **name when she is reportedly from** ** _Sanctum_** **!"**

 **"...She's my ex." Naruto sighed out after a tense moment.**

Yang's eyes burned red.

"Called it. OW!" Blake put a hand to the back of her left ear and glared at Yang. "Yang!"

"Do not tempt me, Blake, I'm so not in the mood right now."

Nora slowly pulled up a fire extinguisher and set it between her legs. She looked over at Ruby and sent her a thumbs up, while the girl returned it before she retreated into her cloak.

 **"Don't play with me, Uzumaki!" Kurama growled. "I am** ** _not_** **in the mood for jokes!"**

 **"It's not a goddamn joke, Ōtsutsuki!" Naruto snapped back as he shot to his feet. "All those times I told you I've had a girlfriend, guess what? I was being** ** _honest_** **! I was talking about Emerald!"**

 **"Why the hell should I believe that when this is the first time you've ever gave her name?!"**

 **"Because I didn't want to think about her anymore, all right!?" Naruto balled his hands into fists to the point that his knuckles turned white. He turned away from the Faunus as he continued with a tight voice. "I wasn't...I didn't want to end the relationship."**

" _She_ dumped _him_?" Yang blinked and her eyes reverted to their normal lilac. "What hell is wrong with her? Naruto is an awesome guy! Like, _the_ catch!"

"I'm sure there was a reason." Pyrrha told Yang.

"Yeah, I'm sure there is." Yang scoffed. "It's simple: She's a bitch."

"…I wouldn't go that far, but perhaps we should watch and see." The redhead suggested.

"Fine, but I don't like this Emerald now." Yang confirmed with a childish frown.

"Good to know." Blake sighed.

 **"...You were in love with her." Haku's statement was soft, but it hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. His eyes squeezed shut and he gave a short nod. Haku walked over to his partner's side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, we don't blame you for falling in love with a girl."**

"Really. Not. Liking. This." Yang grit out between clenched teeth. "At all!"

"...Is it wrong for me to take pleasure in this?" Weiss asked Blake quietly.

"Probably not," Blake said with a shrug.

 **"Speak for yourself." Kurama grumbled as he crossed his arms. He turned away with a scowl when Haku glared at him.**

 **"It's not that," Naruto said softly. He looked at Haku with pained eyes, tears barely contained within them. "...I was so close. So** ** _close_** **to being done. To forgetting about her."**

 **"You idiot." Naruto looked at Sasuke when he spoke. "You never forget your first girlfriend." Sasuke shook his head. He crossed his arms and leaned against the foot of his bed. "The first girl you truly love, that you really have feelings for...that doesn't just go away. It's impossible. A part of you will** ** _always_** **love her because she was the first to show you that you can."**

"…That was both incredibly sappy, but incredibly heartwarming." Jaune confessed and clapped his hands, "Bravo good sir."

 **Kurama shook his head. "Wow, Uchiha, your smut must've gotten to your brain."**

"It's not smut." Blake muttered with a frown and her brow twitched in annoyance.

 **"Shut up, Kurama. Like you're one to talk. When's the last time you had a real emotional connection with a girlfriend?" Sasuke asked with a frown directed at his partner.**

 **Kurama arched a brow and pursed his lips together. "...Emotional only? No physical?"**

 **"Emotional only."**

 **"...All right, fine, call me an emotional virgin then, whatever." Kurama scoffed and leaned against the wall.**

"Man, even the scary guy's gotten action…wait, could Haku be the player of the group?" Nora wondered, "Is this what they call a Beowolf in sheep's clothing?"

"I hate Beowolves." Ruby pouted, they always bugged her specifically. Yang said it was because of her red cloak but the scythe user begged to differ. They just had it out for her.

 **"If you're not going to help, maybe you should prepare yourself for bed," Haku said lowly.**

 **"...Yeah, fine." Kurama muttered as he grabbed his clothes and stopped at the bathroom door before he looked at Naruto. "Once this...whatever is over, you're going to tell me everything you know about that girl and what she knows about you."**

 **"Go!" Haku barked.**

 **"Fine! Geez, for Oum's sake, I'm going!" Kurama grumbled as he ducked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind him.**

 **"Freaking sociopath." Sasuke mumbled as he shook his head. He watched Haku guide Naruto away from the bathroom door and over to their side of the room. When Naruto was seated on Haku's bed across from him, Sasuke leaned forward. "Naruto. You're my friend and more importantly our team leader. We** ** _need_** **you to get ahold of yourself."**

 **"I will, I just...I wasn't expecting her to be right** ** _there_** **when I turned around the corner. I mean goddamn, she was right freaking there! Like, a few hours ago Yang and I were just...Oh, god, Yang." Naruto groaned into his hand. "Shit... how do I explain this to her?** ** _Do_** **I even explain this to her?"**

"Um, yes! Yes you do," Yang said sternly, her eyes narrowed. "Then I got kick some minty-haired butt."

"I don't know... Emerald's pretty strong, Yang."

"...Ruby, I love you like a sister-"

"I _am_ your sister."

"-But stop talking about things you don't understand."

Ruby pouted and retreated back into her cloak of solitude. "Fine."

 **"Knowing how Yang acts over her friends and family, I'm afraid of what she would do if she discovered there was a girl on campus who had broken her recently obtained boyfriend's heart." Haku mused.**

"Haku knows the score it seems," Weiss said dryly.

Blake rubbed her face and sighed. "This is going to be a pain to deal with."

"Thanks for the support girls, really." Yang grumbled as she glared at her teammates.

 **He looked at Naruto with a confidant smile. "I wouldn't go telling her right off the bat. Perhaps wait until after the festival ends and Emerald leaves Vale. I'd rather not get our recently revoked punishments back."**

 **"You're talking like this girl will leave Vale after the festival. Remember, Kurama said she's** ** _not_** **a student and I'm inclined to believe that much. It's best to rip the bandage off in one go then to try to slowly remove it." Sasuke warned cautiously. "If Yang really does care about you, she'll probably be more interested in keeping your attention** ** _on_** **her and** ** _off_** **of the old girlfriend."**

Yang looked down her shirt for a good second or two before she looked up and beamed.

"The council has spoken, and we're all in favor of this tactic." She nodded.

 **Naruto sighed and rubbed his head. "Great, anything else you guys want to know?"**

 **"Well, remember that question Sun asked you?" Haku asked.**

 **"Which one?"**

 **"Have you ever had sex with your ex-girlfriend?"**

Yang's smile dropped instantly and she stared intently at the screen.

 **"...Yeah..."**

"...I'mma kill her!" Yang decided firmly.

"Yang!" Ruby scolded.

"I'mma do it!"

"Yang, I don't want you to go to jail!"

"Besides, this is another reality. A different Emerald entirely," Blake said. She gave her partner a pointed look. "Remember?"

"...Yes." Yang pouted. She frowned. "My other better kill her."

"There's no winning with her," Ruby said with a sigh.

 **"...On second thought, you should tell Yang." Haku decided. This girl screwed his friend physically and emotionally, she was** ** _not_** **getting away with that while Haku had anything to say about it.**

"It's official, Haku is best bro." Yang confirmed.

"I thought Sasuke and Kurama knew him longer?" Jaune asked.

"That doesn't mean anything right now. Haku is being the bro now. The best of bros. Thus, I bestow him title of best bro."

 **Sasuke shook his head. "No way, if she finds this out she'll probably try to jump him in public. Tell her once Emerald disappears."**

"The council, while we agree with that assessment, disagrees with your approach and finds it invalid!" Yang declared while she gave Sasuke two thumbs down.

"Who is the council?" Jaune asked.

Yang pointed at her puppies with her thumbs.

"Oh..." Jaune nodded in understanding.

 **Naruto groaned and flopped back on the bed. "Could you guys offer any more contradicting advice? Oum, when did life become so complicated?"**

 **"When you turned sixteen," Sasuke said flatly.**

 **"Isn't that how old you and Sakura were when you both-?"**

 **"Shut up, Naruto, before I give you a** ** _real_** **reason to cry."**

 **Haku sighed. "Well, I suppose we're just going to act like this never happened then?"**

 **"Duh, we're guys." "Kind of goes without saying." Sasuke and Naruto agreed.**

 **"Just so we're clear."**

"Ugh, boys are so stupid." Ruby shook her head. Why did they have to act all macho and stuff? It's weird."

"It's just how the world works, Ruby. Why do girls all have to go to the bathroom at the same time when at dinner? No man will ever know." Jaune shook his head.

"Darn right." Yang, Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha and Nora agreed.

"...Even I don't understand that!" Ruby groaned.

 **That night, Naruto stared at the ceiling as he thought about the dilemma that faced him in the morning. He'd told Kurama, Haku and Sasuke everything about his relationship with Emerald. At the initial start of the relationship she'd requested, for reasons he didn't know but now suspected led to nothing good, that he kept their meetings secret and that she'd determine when and where they would meet. All hush-hush like, and the thrill was awesome.**

"I'm more thrilling." Yang protested.

"Well, secrets are exciting." Blake confessed honestly.

"Like when you're reading your smut when you think none of us notice?"

Blake glared at Weiss' accusation and sadly could not deny it.

 **The sex that came around a month later wasn't bad either. The thrill was increased tenfold with that aspect thrown in.**

"I'm not hearing this!" Yang stuffed her fingers into her ears. "La-la-la-la-la!"

"...And you call me dramatic." Weiss drawled.

 **Then the emotions started to build. Emerald let him take her out, let herself be seen with him by others, but still insisted his friends never discover them. That he tell no one and that he use a fake name when they were out. They dined in often, always at his place, and he'd have to make up some excuse to his friends afterwards that he felt horrible about. Looking back, it wasn't an ideal relationship, but then again, it was his first.**

 **Naruto was just stoked to have a pretty girl who was willing to spend time with him in all the ways a teenage boy wanted.**

"I hear ya buddy." Jaune sighed, resting his chin on his palm. He frowned when his hair was patted. "Nora, please stop."

"You looked like you needed it, but okay."

 **And Emerald seemed to really like him then, too.**

 **So when she suddenly up and dumped Naruto a year before he graduated, it stupefied him. He begged and pleaded and all that cliché crap that happened in the romantic movies they watched. He wanted to know what he'd done wrong and her answer hurt more than giving no answer at all.**

 **"** ** _Nothing_** **." Her voice was cold and Naruto remembered staring at her back with tears pouring down his cheeks. "** ** _You didn't do anything wrong. And that's the problem._** **"**

"…He was too good a boyfriend?" Weiss asked with confusion and doubt. "Really? She dumped him because of that?"

"Hey, you don't know!" Yang glared at her. She felt sorry for Naruto, thus far he hadn't been too half bad for a boyfriend and frankly, Yang was jealous of her other for having such a fun, good-looking guy.

 **Then she left while he stood there, to shocked and heartbroken to say anything to try and stop her.**

 **Gone from Naruto's life for a whole year, practically two – right after he'd just hooked up with a new, awesome, funny and sexy girl that seemed to really like him as much as he did her – and then she showed up at** ** _Beacon_** **of all places as an** ** _exchange_** **student!**

"Life tanks." Yang nodded sadly.

 **Life really was a bitch sometimes.**

"That too."

"Now whose love drama do we have to deal with?"

"Oh shut up, Weiss!"

Weiss preened at knowing that she got back at Yang, who glowered at the white haired girl.

 **Naruto's life was finally getting back together. He was training to be a Huntsman,** ** _leading_** **his own team even! He had found new friends and even gained a third best friend in Haku, his partner since day one. He got to meet his childhood pen pal in person! He'd found himself a** ** _Yang_** **el to call his girlfriend and damn could she kiss!**

"Aw, doesn't he say the sweetest things?" Yang smiled and forgot about Weiss and her smugness.

 **Not to mention her legs were creamy, her eyes were mesmerizing and her smile was beautiful...**

"Save it for the bedroom, you bad boy!"

"Nora, don't join in," Ren sighed.

Nora pouted. "Aw, but we've only seen kissing so far…too tame."

"It has been a month...we could move to third base, I suppose." Yang mused.

"...What's that?" Ruby asked.

"Third base is where you either per...er...uh...it's the one right before home." Yang answered, correcting herself before she broke Ruby's mind with too much lewd information.

 **Ahem, anyway, the point is it was all going well – so freaking well! – and then** ** _she_** **showed up in his life again.**

 **Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. "What the hell am I supposed to tell Yang?"**

 **Silence answered him, and it made Naruto extremely uncomfortable.**

 **He never was one for silence. He thrived in noise. He** ** _loved_** **attention,** ** _lived_** **for it at one point. In a way he still did.**

 **Naruto started to fiddle with his parents' wedding bands. He held them up and stared at them in the darkness while the soft even breathing of his team slowly soothed him to sleep.**

 **"What would you guys have me do?" Naruto wondered. He closed his eyes and let his hand rest on his chest, gripped around the rings.**

 ** _If there was ever a time I really wished you guys were alive, it would be now. I could really use some parental wisdom right now._**

"Ask Ozpin?" Ruby suggested with uncertainty in her voice.

"Or Asuma at least." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, him too."

"That's like going to Uncle Qrow for advice, though," Yang said.

"...And? I did that and he said I'd figure it out myself."

"My point is proven."

 **"Poor Jaune, Sneeze must have been colder than usual today," Naruto said as he watched the boy slink out of Professor Port's class with Haku at his side.**

 **"It would seem so." Haku agreed. He watched with a raised brow as Yang blew Naruto a quick kiss before she followed her team back towards their dorm, while Naruto merely smiled at her. "I take it you've yet to tell Yang about your problem?"**

"Points deducted." Yang declared with a frown.

"For?" Blake asked.

"Not telling me about this. It needs to be said, like, right now." The blonde huffed.

 **"It's not a problem, so why make it one? We used to date, she broke it off and I've moved on," Naruto said with a shrug. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it and I doubt Emerald does too. We just didn't expect to see each other. All I have to do if I don't want to blow this is avoid her and pretend I don't know her when I can't."**

 **"...I believe that is a poor decision."**

 **"Yeah, well, it's mine to make."**

"Listen to the pretty boy, he is your shoulder angel!" Yang flopped her head back with a groan. Why was her other's beau being so dumb!?

 **Haku sighed. "Very well...But when this backfires, don't blame me when I say I told you so."**

 **"If, Haku.** ** _If_** **it backfires." Naruto corrected with a raised finger and a grin. He interlaced his hands behind his head and began to walk towards the dorms. "So, want to go surprise Team RWBY with their permission slips for a night on Vale?"**

"Yes please!" Ruby cheered.

"I'm sure my other would like to do some festival shopping as well." Weiss nodded in agreement.

 **Haku followed his teammate across campus with pursed lips. As they walked Haku observed various teams and groups of students. He disliked what he saw. His fellow Beacon students were tense as they passed by, all unnerved by the Atlesian forces that had been using Beacon as an impromptu base. The students from Haven fared no better, equally tense as though they expected to be attacked by someone. Eyes were shifty everywhere and tensions were high.**

"Man, where's all the good cheer and smiles?" Ruby asked with a cock of her head.

"Oh, it's there." Weiss assured. "Right next to the bigotry and mistrust."

"Ohh."

 **"The smallest thing could set off a fight," Naruto said, as though he'd been reading his partner's mind. Haku glanced at him and noted that he'd not lost his relaxed posture nor had his smile died down in the slightest.**

 **"I'm astounded that you can be so relaxed with all this tension around us," Haku said softly. His gaze went to a couple of Haven students that walked by and narrowed slightly when he noticed them point at Naruto and whisper.**

 **"They're debating whether or not I'm a Faunus."**

 **Haku arched a brow. "How did you know that?"**

 **Naruto shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time someone did that."**

 **"...The birthmarks?"**

 **"Scars." Naruto corrected. He grinned over at his partner. "What? You think I was born with these chick magnets? Come on, that'd be weird."**

"Not really." Yang shrugged. "It'd just mean he was born both cute and sexy. A most deadly combination. Shame...but hey, he's cute 'n sexy now, so momma will take what she can get."

 **"As opposed to being born with silver eyes or blue hair?" Haku countered.**

 **"Those are rare, yeah, but not uncommon. Science can explain that. Facial things like mine? Nah, not so common. Even Faunus don't have 'whiskers'. Got these bad boys on my first birthday." Naruto answered nonchalantly. "Fourth War."**

 **"...I really don't know how you want me to react to that," Haku said honestly.**

"Honestly, throwing it out there makes it all awkward." Jaune agreed with Haku.

 **"Don't want you to react, just wanted you to know." Naruto grinned. "Not everyone wants you to react to their comments, dude. Some just want to inform. Take it with a grain of salt–"**

 **"Watch it!"**

"And a fight already breaks out," Weiss huffed. "Honestly, such children."

"We are teenagers." Ruby supplied.

"It's really no excuse, we are supposed to represent our schools after all." Weiss added firmly.

 **"Don't they teach you in Atlas to look where you're going?"**

 **Naruto and Haku looked off to the side where four familiar Beacon boys faced off against a Team from Atlas, based on their white school uniforms anyway. Naruto absentmindedly thought that Atlas' schools needed some color in their attire.**

 **"Oh look, we have the class jerk-off acting like a grade-A dumbass. What a surprise." Naruto drawled as his arms dropped down to his sides. He looked at Haku with an arched brow. "So, shall we go remind Cardin what he's** ** _not_** **supposed to do?"**

"Please do." Jaune said with a twinkle in his eye.

 **"Gladly." Haku nodded.**

 **The two partners walked over towards the small gathering that was slowly getting circled by teens from both schools. With little effort, Naruto made his way through the crowd with Haku beside him and gave a loud obnoxious sigh that drew the groups' attention.**

 **"Cardin, Cardin, Cardin...Must we** ** _always_** **meet like this?" Naruto asked with a perturbed frown directed towards the massive teen. Cardin and his team froze when they saw the calm blond scratch his head. Naruto's eyes snapped open and locked intently on his fellow team leader. "Or do you need a reminder about how you're supposed to treat our guests?"**

"I got the record button ready." Nora beamed, earning a thumbs up from Jaune and a small smirk from Pyrrha.

Ren sighed at his teammates' behavior.

 **Cardin had a visible gulp before he looked around and took notice of everyone watching. He collected himself and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked away.**

 **"Tch, whatever, Uzumaki. C'mon, guys, we got better things to do." Cardin told his team, who eagerly followed him through the crowd and** ** _away_** **from Naruto. The crowd let out mumbled disappointments and slowly dispersed while Naruto smirked.**

 **"And they say old dogs can't learn new tricks."**

"It just depends if the dog wants to learn." Blake remarked snidely.

"Kitty got claws, rawr."

"...Yang. Stop."

"I promise nothing!"

 **The whiskered blond turned to the Haven group and gave a small wave. "Hi-**

 **"We had that, Blondie!" One of the girls from the Haven group, the same one that had shouted before, interrupted him. Naruto looked down her with an arched brow as he noted her pink eyes, which contrasted with her white attire and the short black hair that fell from her head. What he couldn't get over was her stature. The girl barely came up to his shoulders, she was so short! Even Ruby managed to reach the bottom of his chin with her height.**

"Yes! Finally!" Ruby cackled gleefully, she wasn't the shortest anymore!

 **"Easy, Kurotsuchi, I don't think that the General would like it if we got in a fight," the young man that was easily twice her size, both by height and width, said with a nervous smile to the girl. He had a large nose and friendly dark eyes while his hair was kept back in a red bandanna.**

"He's bigger than Yatsuhashi…" Blake muttered with wide eyes. "What do they feed people in Atlas?!"

"I don't think he's from Atlas, I think he went to Atlas," Weiss said thoughtfully. She'd remember someone that big.

 **"I'm with the hothead. You cost us a fight, buddy...maybe you want to repay the favor?" A teen with white hair that reached his shoulders grinned, revealing shark-like teeth that were in his mouth. He was as tall as Naruto was and a bit beefier in the muscle department. How could he tell? The shark boy had ripped his sleeves off of his jacket. Well, gotta give him points for creativity.**

 **"Suigetsu?" Haku's voice broke Naruto's thoughts as his partner stepped forward. Haku looked at the white haired teen and the last member of the four, a glasses wearing boy that looked like a contrast to Suigetsu, his hair a dull blue-gray as opposed to the white that curtained Suigetsu's head. "Chōjurō? You two went to Atlas?"**

"Finally, people that know Haku. Quick! Spill the goods!" Yang smiled.

"I doubt it works like that." Pyrrha informed.

"Aw, come on! That's like the best part of seeing people from the past! All the embarrassing stories, hehehe."

 **"Ah, Haku, good to see you again," Chōjurō said meekly with a small smile as he adjusted his glasses.**

 **"Yuki, what're you doing at Beacon?" Suigetsu asked, a brow raised. "Thought you were apprenticing?"**

 **"...Plans changed," Haku said stiffly as his gaze turned intense. Suigetsu shivered and held his hands up in defense.**

 **"Right, okay, I get the message."**

 **Naruto crossed his arms and smiled lightly. "Friends of yours, Haku?"**

 **"...You could say we had similar past times," Haku said carefully as he looked at his partner. He held his hand out. "Suigetsu and Chōjurō, my partner and team leader, Naruto Uzumaki."**

 **"Nice to meet ya," Naruto said with a grin.**

 **"A pleasure," Chōjurō said with a small nod.**

 **"...Dude doesn't seem so tough." Suigetsu shrugged.**

"Bitch please, his pimp hand be strong!"

"Yang, please don't talk like that." Blake sighed.

"Make up your mind, girl, don't do this, don't do that, what can I do?"

"Sit there and watch quietly?"

"Mm...I'll think about it."

 **Haku rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, you were the same back when you started,** ** _Scrawny_** **."**

 **"Hey! If you'll notice, I'm not scrawny anymore, jackass!" Suigetsu snarled as he gestured to his arms.**

 **Naruto hummed. "Impressive. What are those, eighteen? Twenty inches?"**

 **"Twenty-one and two-thirds, blondie," Suigetsu said with a smirk. "Able to choke your punk ass out with ease."**

 **"Suigetsu, let's try to be civil," the large teen said with a frown. He offered Naruto a smile. "We are Suigetsu and Chōjurō's teammates. I'm the team leader, Akasuchi, and this is my partner, Kurotsuchi."**

"Huh, didn't figure him as the leader. Would have gone with the blue haired guy." Ruby confessed with honesty.

"Looks can be real deceiving, like sloths. They plot world domination after all." Everyone turned just to give Nora a disbelieving look at that. Nora blinked. "What? They do!"

 **"You're too nice, Akasuchi." Kurotsuchi grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Naruto. She squinted her eyes. "You look familiar...have we met before?"**

 **"Uh, no, pretty sure I'd remember meeting you," Naruto said, a bit taken aback by her hostility. Unnerved by the glare that Kurotsuchi was giving him, Naruto turned his attention to Chōjurō and Suigetsu. "So, you're Haku's old buddies, huh? Bet you've got tons of dirt on him."**

 **Suigetsu grinned slightly. "You know, maybe you're not going to be so bad after all, blondie. There was this one time when Haku had hurried to class one day and incorrectly tied his sash–"**

"His rainbow undies were showing?"

Blake slapped Yang upside the head for the image that she, and the others, had thought of.

"Ow!"

 **"Naruto, we were going to go assist RWBY, remember?" Haku cut in firmly as he glared daggers at the white-haired teen.**

 **Naruto pouted at Haku. "You're no fun, Haku. Kurama and Sasuke broke you."**

"No, he's just been the most responsible one of you lot." Weiss noted snidely.

 **"Naruto..."**

 **"Alright, alright," Naruto said with a sad sigh. He gave the Haven students a two-fingered salute. "Nice meeting ya, guys and girl. Maybe we'll meet up in the tournament!"**

 **"Better do some curls before we do, blondie!" Suigetsu returned with a cackle as his team watched the two walk away. He looked at Chōjurō with a smirk. "So, what'd you get off the blondie?"**

 **Chōjurō shuddered and adjusted his glasses again. "It would be best to avoid him. His Aura...it's massive. Far larger than any of ours, even when put together. It was so potent, I swear I saw it coming off of his skin."**

"Huh, maybe it was just his manly musk?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Ew! So gross Yang!"

"Says you." Yang scoffed. "Some a girls like the scent of au-natural~ Right, Blake?"

Blake glared at Yang. "Not funny."

"Ah, you love the wild things~!"

"So, unbelievably not funny."

 **"That's not normal," Kurotsuchi said with a frown. She glared at the two as they walked away. "We should keep an eye on them. That blond guy...I want to know why looks so familiar."**

 **"Maybe you've been dreaming about him?"**

Yang frowned. "Bitch best watch herself."

"Possessive much?" Blake asked.

"Hey, you've got your SunAbs, I've got a Narutush. ...Well, my other has a Narutush. ...Now I have to find a Narutush."

"No!" Weiss and Blake denied her. The last thing they needed was a world where Yang had a male version of herself.

 **"Piss off, Suigetsu!"**

 **"...Meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!" Ruby's voice was heard clear as day to Naruto as he leaned casually against the team's door. He quirked a smile when he heard Sun's voice. Naruto opened his eyes and nodded at his team as they stepped out of their room, dressed in their battle gear.**

 **"Time to make an entrance." Naruto mused as he knocked on the girls' door.**

 **Kurama scoffed. "Typical showboat."**

 **"Seriously? Not the time," Sasuke said with a disapproving shake of his head.**

 **"Whatever."**

 **Naruto ignored his team as Ruby opened the door and looked at the grinning blond in confusion.**

 **"Um, hi, Naruto...what's going on?" Ruby asked.**

 **"I think I should be asking you that," Naruto said as he looked over her new attire and then those of the other members in Team RWBY. His eyes lingered on Yang's new look for a moment before he looked back at the nervous fifteen-year-old. "I mean, you're all dressed up for what looks to be a fun time, Sun's here and even the Nerd came!"**

"Neeerd!" Jaune echoed.

Weiss threw popcorn in his face.

 **"His hair really is blue." Kurama mused in surprise while Neptune glowered at the whiskered blond.**

 **"Intellectual!"**

 **"Whatever, Nerd Boy," Naruto said as he walked into the team room and proceeded to circle Yang with a wide grin on his face. "This, I like."**

 **"Yeah?" Yang grinned back at him and caught him by his jacket's collar. She leaned against him and traced her finger up his arm while his hands held her hips. "You should see what I'm wearing underneath."**

"I was feeling lacy that day." Yang grinned. "Was wearing that set I bought when Rubes and I went shopping last year. Remember Ruby?"

"...Yep." Ruby mumbled. She turned red when she remembered how Yang had dragged them into a rather…risqué store. Ruby did not have fun that day. All she wanted was some stockings!

 **Naruto's grin didn't fall in the slightest while Neptune choked on air. "Is that a promise or a tease?"**

 **"Depends..."**

"Make it go away!" Ruby moaned, covering her eyes at her sister's shameless display.

"Show us more!" Yang pleaded with a grin.

 **"Yang!" Ruby protested with a slightly red face. She crossed her arms and scowled as the rest of Team NHKS walked into their already slightly crowded room. "Focus, Yang! The plan!"**

 **"Making plans without me? Ouch, Yang, feelings are hurt," Naruto said with a pout.**

 **Yang winked at him and turned around in his arms to look at her sister. "Lighten up, Ruby. Whisker Boy and his gang probably want in, too."**

 **"Like I said, you should always drag friends into trouble. Way more fun that way," Sun said with a grin. He looked at Neptune. "Right?"**

 **"...Debatable," Neptune said with a grunt as he looked over the new group. "So...These are the other, uh, cool guys, huh?"**

 **"Nice to meet you too, Nerd Boy." Kurama greeted with a smirk.**

 **"Intellectual." Neptune scowled at the Faunus before he turned to a greatly amused Sun. "I don't like him."**

Weiss sighed. "We get along so well. We both hate the same people."

"How wonderful." Blake dryly remarked to Weiss. "Should we get the dress now or later?"

Weiss turned a pretty shade of pink at the suggestion.

 **"Aw, I'm heartbroken," Kurama said dryly, a hand on his chest. "The goggle-head doesn't like me. However will I go on?"**

 **"Shut up, Ōtsutsuki." Weiss rolled her eyes.**

 **"Bite me, Weiss."**

 **"I think that's a proposition." Naruto stage whispered to his snickering girlfriend.**

"It better not have been!"

"I don't think it was." Nora stage whispered to Ren while Weiss fumed.

 **He gave a small smirk to Kurama when he caught the flash of red that came up behind the sunglasses' lenses. Naruto grinned back at Ruby and let his arms slide up to gently wrap around Yang's midsection. "So, Rube, what's your 'plan'?"**

 **"Well, we were going to go out and investigate some more into the White Fang," Ruby said with a small smile to the Faunus of her team. "Weiss and I were going to go to the Cross Continental Transmit tower to look into the Schnee Dust Company records."**

 **"Since I'm an heiress, I should naturally have access to everything about the company," Weiss said with a hint of pride.**

 **Ruby nodded. "Right, and Blake was going to go to a White Fang meeting alone, but with Sun here, I guess she could go with him. Yang said she's got a few contacts...and I guess Neptune was going to go with Yang – Haku, I don't understand what this..." Ruby rapidly waved her hand in front of her neck. "Means."**

Yang palmed her face, her sister was so clueless.

"What does that mean?" Ruby whispered to Weiss curiously.

Weiss shook her head. "If I tell you, you won't learn."

"Aha! See? Naruto's not all bad!"

"Shut up, Yang. I still don't like him."

 **While Kurama and Sasuke laughed, Haku dropped his face into his hand as Naruto's arms tensed slightly and his gaze locked with Neptune's. The blue-haired Haven student paled considerably when Naruto gave him a wide and forced grin.**

 **"Ruby, we need to work on your social cues," Weiss said dryly.**

"Exactly." Weiss rubbed her face tiredly.

"I'm not that bad!" Ruby pouted, "Right?" she asked Yang.

"Yes." Yang gave her a deadpanned expression. "Yes, you are."

"…Don't have to be so mean about it."

 **Blake rubbed her forehead and nodded in agreement while Yang smiled and looked back at her boyfriend.**

 **"Clingy already, Naruto? Don't you trust me?"**

 **"Oh, I trust you with my life, Yang." Naruto smiled down at her normally before his forced smile returned as he looked at Neptune, who looked just about ready to start dropping bricks. "Him...not with yours."**

 **"I'll admit, he does look like he'd stick out a bit if he came with me," Yang said with a pensive hum. "The prep look is cute, but...not exactly what you want to be wearing where we're going."**

"Yeah, clubbing in that is not my scene." Yang said thoughtfully. "Should have gotten him out of that and into something cooler."

"He dresses smart." Weiss argued.

"Yeah, like a nerd. I know."

 **"Hm...Wait, I have an idea!" Naruto grinned as he looked at Ruby. "Why doesn't Neptune go along with you, Weiss, Sasuke and Haku?"**

 **Ruby blinked and frowned. "Wait, but, why is Haku going?"**

 **"Because our team has the permission slips** ** _your_** **team needs to go to Vale, or do you not remember the reason Kurenai was assigned to you?" Sasuke deadpanned to the four girls, who suddenly paled as the remembered that factor they had forgotten about. Kurenai was still a bit upset with them for the Lunchroom Fight they'd had yesterday.**

Ruby shuddered. "The horror of supervision."

 **"Exactly, Sasuke!" Naruto nodded. "So, Neptune, Sasuke and Haku will go with Sneeze and Ruby, Kurama will go with Sun and Bell...but will separate after you guys get there so that he can gather information on his own."**

 **Sun gave Naruto a grateful thumbs up and grin while the fox Faunus shook his head.**

 **"And that conveniently leaves you and me together," Yang said with a grin.**

 **Naruto blinked. "Well I'll be damned. So it does!"**

"Oh please, while Uzumaki may lack tact and manners, he's smart enough to have done that on purpose." Weiss rolled her eyes with a scoff.

Yang gave Naruto a lidded look. "And it's why I got him as my boy."

 **"Almost as if you planned it that way," she said. Yang's eyes drooped slightly and she traced circles on Naruto's arm. "Taking me out on the town, Whisker Boy?"**

 **"Considering you're the one with the ride, I think it's the other way around," Naruto said. He was excited to hitch a ride on his girlfriend's motorcycle – she snuck him in to see it one night and he learned that it was probably his only competition for her affections.**

Blake narrowed her eyes. "She does like that bike…a bit too much I think."

"Bumblebee is awesome." Yang huffed.

 **It was weird, but that was the same with Naruto and Ramen.**

"Darn, he's right. Those noodles are some heavy competition," Yang said with a click of her tongue. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe if I added it to my seduction...but where would I find a bowl that large?"

"...Yang, you're daydreaming, snap out of it." Blake jostled her partner's shoulder.

"No I'm not, I'm scheming!"

"...Snap out of it!"

 **"Or Neptune could go with you guys!" Ruby suggested. "Five's a big number and -!"**

 **"No, I'll-I'll go with you," Neptune said quickly as he covered Ruby's mouth with his hand and laughed nervously when Naruto gave him a smirk. The blonde couple were the first out the door and Neptune quickly pulled his hand away from Ruby's mouth, wiping it on his pants. "Gross! You licked my palm! What are you, twelve?!"**

"Sometimes." Yang, Weiss, Blake and Team JNPR chimed.

"Hey!" Ruby pouted.

 **"Fifteen, actually," Ruby said with a frown. She crossed her arms and looked around the room. "What's the big problem? Why should Neptune come with us and not them? They could need the backup!"**

 **It was quiet before Sasuke, Kurama, Sun and Haku burst into laughter.**

Yang and Nora also started to bust a gut while Pyrrha giggled quietly, trying not to be rude. Ren and Blake had smiles on their faces while Jaune and Weiss snickered.

"Oh Ruby! You're hilarious." Yang managed to breathe out.

"I was probably being serious." Ruby muttered with pink cheeks.

 **The other four in the room looked at the laughing boys in confusion. Sun wiped a tear away from his eye and sighed.**

 **"That was nice. Thanks, Ruby, I needed that." Sun grinned. He looked at Kurama and then Blake before he gestured to the door. "After you."**

 **"Why thank you," Kurama said with a smirk as he walked between his two fellow Faunus and left the room.**

 **Blake sighed. "This is going to be an eventful night, I just know it."**

 **Kurama poked his head back into the doorway and smirked. "Eh, what's the worst that could happen?"**

"Dammit, he just had to jinx it." Yang palmed her face.

"Well, it was doomed from the start." Blake sighed unhappily.

"True...On the upside, I get to see myself go clubbing with my Narutush instead of the nerd."

"Intellectual!" Weiss protested.

"Same difference."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XIII: It Gets Real**

"What gets real?" Pyrrha asked the episode title.

"Everything," Nora said seriously.

 **"How the Hell did we lose track of a guy with neon blue hair, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and a girl wearing a red hood?" Sasuke asked incredulously as he and Haku walked around the CCT, a massive tower that was developed in Atlas to unify the Four Kingdoms after The War. Mere minutes after they had arrived, and were subjected to Ruby's awe of the tower, Haku and Sasuke were separated from their group by a passing wave of tourists.**

"Really, how hard is it to miss red, white, and blue colors together?" Jaune scratched the back of his head.

 **One of the tourists, a man who looked to be a construction worker of some sort if his Vale Construction Co. shirt was anything to go by, stopped directly in front of them. He looked them over, smiled and said "Neat!" before he blinded the two teens with a flash camera. Sasuke silently vowed vengeance on the man when he rubbed the flash out of his eyes.**

 **"I believe it was possible that Ruby's discovery of Penny distracted her from her purpose for arriving." Haku mused. "I wonder why she turned and ran, though?"**

"Uh, because Penny wanted to play tag!" Ruby reasoned _flawlessly_.

Weiss just looked at her partner, "So you went to play while I did all the work? You are so juvenile."

 **"She's hiding something." Sasuke deduced. "Something that** _ **we**_ **aren't supposed to know."**

 **"Is she a student at Haven?" Haku asked.**

 **Sasuke shook his head. "No, Kurama never mentioned her in his debriefing."**

 **"Ah." Haku nodded and looked at his teammate. "So now what? Do we continue our search or should we go into the station to investigate?"**

 **"Might as well go do what we came here to do." Sasuke mumbled as they turned back towards the CCT. They walked in silence for a while until a loudspeaker and hologram appeared in front of them.**

 **"** _ **The new Atlesian defense display will begin shortly. Please make your way to the CCT Gardens.**_ **"**

"Yes, please tell us of the machine I broke into a dozen pieces." Yang smirked while she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

 **Haku and Sasuke exchanged a look before they shrugged. They had nothing better to do. The two teammates walked to the gardens, a vast area filled with flowers from around the world, mostly those of the aesthetic variety. Set in front of the entrance was a large platform with a ten or twelve foot** _ **thing**_ **hidden by a tarp draped over it. Sasuke crossed his arms and idly wondered what was to be displayed in front of them.**

 **A hologram of the Atlas Academy headmaster and the General of the Atlesian Army appeared on stage in front of the tarp. James Ironwood, a man dressed in a white suit and red tie, with a glove over his right hand and a bar of some sort above his right eyebrow while his neatly trimmed hair gave him the look of a military official. He smiled at the gathered few, and the seated officials at the front, before he clapped his hands together.**

 **"** _ **Welcome residents of Vale! Today is a grand day, beautiful and clear, but like any day, it could always change.**_ **" James smile fell and he became serious. "** _ **Our time of peace is not long, and many of you are familiar with the attacks by the White Fang and the Fourth War occurring both here and across the seas. Fear is present in all of your faces, and I assure you, you are not the only one afraid. I am afraid for my students. My soldiers. My people. My friends. I am afraid for Remnant.**_ **"**

 **"Well, he certainly does know how to reassure a crowd." Sasuke mumbled as he crossed his arms. The others gathered began to murmur worriedly at his words. Sasuke shook his head. Probably not his choice of words to start with.**

"Ozpin is weird with speeches, too. Maybe it's a headmaster thing." Ruby suggested to her friends.

"No, he's trying to get them to worry, Ruby." Weiss told her partner. "That way they put more belief into him trying to protect them."

"And thus is the military propaganda of the world." Blake noted sourly.

 **"** _ **But we will fear no longer!**_ **" Ironwood declared firmly as his hands folded behind his back. "** _ **Atlas is determined to ensure that peace is prolonged and these...terrorists will not sway us! We will not bow quietly into the night so that they may try to eradicate Humans or Faunus! We will not surrender without a fight to protect our home, or to protect**_ **your** _ **home! We**_ **will** _ **survive! We**_ **will** _ **press on! We**_ **will** _ **end this tyranny! But...To do this, we need to be better. We need to be more prepared for our enemies.**_ **"**

 **Ironwood held his gloved hand out and the tarp fell. Sasuke's eyes balked at the monstrosity before him. A solid twelve feet high, with steel covering its parts, was a massive...machine. It was armed to the teeth and had a cockpit in the dead center. Two enormous rocket packs were on the 'shoulders' of the machine and two cannons of some sort were on the arms.**

 **"This...is not a good sign." Haku mumbled. Sasuke had to nod in agreement to that.**

"I know, it totally punched me through a support pillar!" Yang tossed her arms in the air, "Do you know how much that hurts? Even with my semblance, it hurt like a mother-!"

"Yang! Language!" Pyrrha and Ruby scolded the girl.

 **"** _ **Behold! The newest advancement in technological warfare from Atlas, to combat these terrorists and ensure that our peace remains intact!**_ **" Ironwood's hologram stepped aside and admired the machine. "** _ **The Atlesian Paladain-290!**_ **"**

 **"I've seen enough." Sasuke decided after a moment.**

 **"As have I. To the tower?"**

 **"Let's go."**

 **"Damn," Haku said with a grimace as his attempts to guess Weiss' access code to the Schnee Dust Company failed. "I was certain that 'Glyph' would've worked. The login ID was correct..."**

"…Is he trying to hack into my account?!" Weiss said, scandalized by the sweet tempered Haku.

"Seems so, but isn't that your scroll password?" Ruby asked her partner.

"…How do you know that?" Weiss turned and narrowed her gaze upon Ruby.

"Uhh…"

"Haku is not a good _Hack-u_..." Yang joked. Blake, Weiss and Ruby groaned and the blonde frowned. "Oh, c'mon, that's gold!"

 **"Told you to not worry about the Schnee information," Sasuke said from his console. "Should've just looked for headlines, like I am."**

 **"Have you found anything?" Haku asked. Sasuke did not answer him and Haku furrowed his brow. He walked over and watched as Sasuke began to search through files of Fourth War terrorist attacks. His eyes narrowed after a certain name came up at a different point in each record before Sasuke clicked a link to a new headline.**

 **"Sasuke...who is Itachi?"**

 **Sasuke's face darkened and he closed the links.**

 **"...It is your dark past, I take it?" Haku asked. He decided to back off.**

"Yes, backstory!" Yang pumped her fist.

 **"I will leave it be–"**

 **"No, you deserve to know." Sasuke cut him off. The raven-haired teen rubbed his eyes. "Naruto and Kurama know, I'm sure that's why Naruto sent me here with you. He wanted you to be told."**

 **"Told about this...Itachi?" Haku asked with a confused frown.**

 **"Yes," Sasuke said as he opened a new window and entered the name into the search bar. Sasuke looked at Haku gravely. "This is my** _ **goal**_ **. My reason for becoming a Hunter, and at one point it was my reason for living.**

"Wow, that's something heavy." Jaune whistled, only to get a shove by Nora.

"Shush." She said with a certain sternness in her tone.

 **To find and bring that-that** _ **man**_ **to justice. Like I said, Naruto and Kurama know this is why I started my path, and they've offered their help countless times once we resolved our differences, but this is something I want to do alone. I am not afraid of it, I do not hide from it. Read."**

 **Sasuke stepped out of the way so that Haku would read the window he'd opened. As the feminine boy read the screen, Sasuke continued with his dialogue.**

 **"Seven years after the disaster of the Fourth War attack that occurred nearly two decades ago, a team of Hunters from Vacuo's academy was found slaughtered by what seem to be Grimm. There was one survivor who was not present. It is believed he betrayed his teammates, two who were an outspoken Faunus/Human couple and another Faunus, and joined the Fourth War."**

"Hell, that's crazy messed up." Yang muttered while Blake looked very crossed by this.

 **Sasuke paused as Haku opened another page, revealing a gruesome crime scene at a small house.**

 **"That man was a prodigy of a family known for Faunus hatred, and doomed his family to shame. His father couldn't handle the shame and went mad, murdering his wife and then himself when the village's police force arrived on the scene. He died from the officers' weapons while he was attempting to kill that man's only living relative."**

 **Haku sighed heavily at the image of a small wide-eyed boy with raven black hair, wrapped in a blanket.**

 **"...He's your brother." Haku realized.**

"…Okay, and I thought I had some family issues." Weiss winced.

 **Sasuke nodded. "It's my duty to my parents to bring him to justice. To discover the truth."**

 **"...Perhaps...it is for the best that we had lost track of the others." Haku mused. He looked at Sasuke and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Sasuke, for trusting me with this."**

 **"It isn't a matter of trust, Haku," Sasuke said honestly as he looked down. "When I was young, there was no doubt that I hated Faunus and that man. I was not afraid to proclaim it. I made it very clear what my goal was..."**

 **"Then...?" Haku fished.**

"Naruto, duh." Yang whispered with a tiny smile on her lips.

 **Sasuke leaned back against the wall and chuckled lightly. "I met Naruto...Naruto pulled me from the darkness when we were young. Forced me into sunlight. We became friends, and in time, I overcame my hatred for Faunus. I decided to live with the goal of finding him. To learn why he did what he did and bring him to justice for his crimes."**

 **"How did Naruto do that?" Haku asked.**

 **Sasuke smiled. "He kicked my ass."**

"Ah, the good old might makes right. Truly, the best way to teach someone the errors of their ways."

Everyone just looked at Pyrrha in surprise at her rather, forceful, remark.

Nora wiped a tear from her eye and leaned on Ren's shoulder. "They grow up so fast!"

 **"...Really?"**

 **"Broke my arm so bad it nearly had to be amputated."**

 **"...And you became his** _ **friend**_ **?"**

 **Sasuke shrugged. "Felt it was better to be his friend than his enemy...and at the time, I decided that he'd be a good measuring stick. Or a tool to use on...You know."**

"Like a practice dummy." Ren winced, he had been on his fair end of Nora's semblance. It wasn't nice.

 **"...That's a bit much, don't you think?"**

 **"Not really. Still considering it, too."**

 **"...So, how did you and Kurama get along then?"**

 **"That's a long story." Sasuke chuckled as he logged out of the computer and began to walk towards the exit. "Let's go see if we can find the girls and the Nerd, shall we?"**

 **"It really is a miracle that the White Fang have not been found," Kurama said dryly as he, Sun and Blake walked into an abandoned warehouse that had three small while lines outside the door, similar to claw marks. "Really, the one organizing this whole shindig is unbelievably clever. I tip my hat to him."**

Blake grumbled, okay, so maybe that wasn't the best way to meet up for meetings. Kurama didn't have to rub it in.

 **"Shut up, Kurama." Blake mumbled.**

 **"Me-ouch."**

Blake scowled, "That's not funny, it will never be funny."

Ruby raised her hand. "I thought it was a little funny."

"Shut up, Ruby."

"Yes ma'am."

 **Sun snickered, but stopped when Blake snapped a glare at the two Faunus males. "Shut. Up. Every Faunus here believes in the White Fang's purpose, if you want this plan to work, you need to act like you give a damn, too."**

 **"...Well, shit, when you put it that way," Kurama said softly as he scratched his neck sheepishly. Blake turned on a dime and stormed into the building. Kurama looked at Sun, who shrugged back at him, before the two followed the feline Faunus. Blake stopped at the end of a hallway and signaled the two to do the same.**

 **"Okay, looks like there's only one way in. Would you like to go in first or would you like to follow our lead?" Blake asked Kurama.**

"I think as an info guy, Kurama should be able to handle himself if he went first." Yang commented, snagging a chip from the bowl on the snack table.

 **"After you, Princess." Kurama offered.**

"Or maybe not."

 **He arched a red brow when Blake and Sun put on white masks that covered their eyes. "What are those?"**

 **"Grimm masks," Blake said. She held one out to him. "Humans made the White Fang out to be monsters, so we donned the masks of monsters."**

 **"Talk about becoming what you hate." Kurama mumbled as he took the mask. He lifted a hand up to his sunglasses and the other two Faunus stared intently at him. "Uh...do you mind?"**

"I know my eyes are pretty, but please! Be mindful." Jaune said a in a snooty tone.

"A thousand pardons." Ren bowed his head dramatically.

 **"Mind what?" Sun asked.**

 **"...Oh, it's going to be like that, huh? Fine." Kurama spun around and back, having replaced his sunglasses with the mask. He looked around with a hum. "You know, I think these are cooler than my Pineley's."**

 **"...Damn, man, that's harsh." Sun frowned alongside Blake. He looked at the cat-eared Faunus with an arched brow. "Guess we'll have to try again another time. Lead the way, Blake."**

 **Blake nodded and led the monkey-tailed Faunus into the meeting area. Kurama watched them disappear into the room and mentally counted to seven – an odd number also known for luck, because who arrives exactly five or ten seconds after another person? He had to make it seem completely coincidental to be safe.**

 **When the count was up, Kurama rounded the bend and jogged down when he saw the door closing. Mentally cursing the fact that his plan formed to avoid coincidence and suspicion had backfired, Kurama held his hand out and burst into a sprint to catch the door. "Wait! Wait, I'm here!"**

"Please let me in, I have my golden ticket!" Nora cried out and then hummed, "Mm, chocolate." She said, taking some of the candy bar and started snacking on it.

 **The guard, a hooded Faunus in the White Fang grunt attire, opened the door back up and shook his head when his hidden gaze fell on the fox-tailed Faunus. "Cutting it close, aren't you?"**

 **Kurama took a page from Naruto's playbook and sheepishly scratched the back of his head while his tail swished back and forth. "Sorry, I – uh, my boss was hassling me again. I had to run all the way here to avoid a confrontation with the police."**

 **"Anger get the best of you?" The nervous laugh answered the grunt's question and he grunted. "Great, another hothead, just what we need. Alright, get in here and keep your voice down, alright? Friggin newbies..."**

Blake rubbed her face tiredly, those types were such a hassle. Seriously, they wouldn't know covert if it fell on their heads.

 **"Sorry again," Kurama said as he slipped by the guard and disappeared into the crowd. He saw Sun and Blake closer to the stage than he would've liked, but there was nothing he could do about it. Kurama scanned the room and looked for any potential exits. There was a window on the far right, and he could slip through the door he had entered through. As Kurama looked behind him, he caught a scent that he hadn't smelt in a long time.**

 **Curious and a bit worried of the potential problem that could arise, Kurama followed the scent to the far back, where a masked Faunus with a white hoodie and black lettering of P.T.A. across the chest.**

 **The P.T.A. (Poorly Tempered Animalz) is a music group that used rhyming lyrics and a steady beat to express their disgust with corrupt law enforcement and racist officials in power. It was very popular among young Faunus living in large cities, but the music was banned from radio play due to the promotion of violence featured in the lyrics.**

"Didn't they set fire to a stage that one time?" Nora tilted her head.

"It wasn't that big of a fire." Blake hedged.

 **However, the attire was not what grabbed Kurama's attention, it was the dark horns that stood out against the platinum blond hair on the Faunus' head. The left horn was halfway shaved off of the Faunus' head, as though it were filed down. Kurama growled and pushed the horned Faunus back when he was within reach.**

 **"You horned sonovabitch." Kurama snarled as he grabbed the Faunus' hoodie and pulled him close. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"**

 **"Kurama?! Shit, man, keep it down!" He hissed as he pushed Kurama's hands down. "You're going to blow my cover!"**

"…" Blake just groaned, "Oh course something like this was bound to happen."

"Well, the police do employ many means to stop terrorism."

Blake glared at Weiss, who pointedly ignored the look.

 **"Cover? Are you pulling a sting right now? You stupid – Where the hell have you been you bastard?!" Kurama's voice was low and dangerous as he glared at the other Faunus.**

 **"Kurama, not now, man!"**

 **"No, we're talking** _ **now**_ **."**

 **"It's not the time!"**

 **"Gyuki, you're going to make time, whether you like it or not." Kurama snarled dangerously.**

"So, his friend I guess?" Jaune asked.

 **Gyuki, the Faunus in question, scowled at him. "Fine, fine. Oum, you're going to screw everything up."**

 **"Where the hell have you been?" Kurama growled as he crossed his arms and his tail flicked.**

 **"Me? I've been doing what I told Dad I wanted to do.**

"Or brothers...who look nothing alike." Jaune revised his previous comment.

"So? Me and Ruby look different." Yang huffed while her baby sister nodded in support.

"...Oh yeah..."

 **I've been making the world a better place, I've been bridging the gap between Humans and Faunus.** _ **Legally**_ **." Gyuki added quickly when he saw Kurama's tail flick once more. Gyuki looked around and reached into his hoodie's front pocket, withdrawing a leather case and flipping it open. A bronze badge with the words 'Investigative Hunter of Remnant' across the top, an image of the shattered moon in the center, and the words 'To Pursue Truth' across the bottom.**

 **"...Holy shit, you're a spook."**

"A pretty stupid one if he brings that out in the open." Blake scoffed, mainly irritated that a spook really had gotten in.

 **"** _ **Volume**_ **." Gyuki grit out as he shoved his wallet back in his pocket. "I've been coming to these meetings for three months and I've finally managed to convince the higher ups of this area that I'm another anti-human fanatic. Do. Not. Blow. It!"**

 **Kurama clenched his fists, his disbelief still visible on his face, though his eyes were hidden. "All this time we thought you were dead."**

 **"Well obviously, I'm not. Now shut** _ **up**_ **, the 'boss' is talking." Gyuki growled and pushed Kurama so that the fox-tailed Faunus would turn around. They watched the White Fang lieutenant promote hatred and introduce the co-conspirator, Roman Torchwick.**

"Boo! Your hat is dumb, you no good...er, hipster!" Ruby jeered at the screen.

"Truly, Ruby's rapport is as sharp as her Crescent Rose." Weiss mumbled to her teammates while their leader fumed.

 **He was met with boos and jeers, but kept his cool and even took it with a grin. Kurama had to give it to the wanted criminal, he had huge ones, but his next words confirmed what Kurama thought: his 'huge ones' were in another's hands.**

 **"My benefactor has gotten hold of this wondrous contraption. First of many to be dealt out to our so patient and endearing animal friends. Behold...your salvation!" Torchwick declared grandiosely with his arms spread out as the red curtain behind him dropped. Kurama's jaw popped open and murmurs exploded throughout the crowd. Behind Torchwick was a twelve-foot behemoth of machinery, armed to the teeth and branded with the White Fang's symbol.**

"I'mma wreck it _hard_." Yang grinned gleefully.

 **"...This is so beyond not good," Gyuki said under his breath. Kurama nodded in agreement with him.**

 _ **We are so fucked.**_ **Kurama thought as Torchwick began to drivel out specifications of the Paladin-290.**

 **"Us nothing...this could be the straw that broke the camel's back." Gyuki mumbled. "This could re-ignite the dwindling fires of The War."**

 **"Come forward, new brothers and sisters!" the Lieutenant cried. "Come forward and make your vows! Declare your oaths! Prepare for victory over the Humans!"**

Weiss frowned and looked at Blake, "Are all meetings this…quaint?" she remarked with dryness akin to a desert.

"Kinda…" Blake weakly retorted.

 **Many of the new Faunus applicants began to rush forward, eager to join the 'fight' for freedom. Kurama saw Torchwick's gaze linger and squint on a certain duo and he swore under his breath. Before he could act, there was a gunshot and the lights suddenly went out.**

 **"Shit, what was that?" Gyuki asked under his breath while the crowd started to panic.**

"Operation get the hell out of dodge." Blake commented with a weak smile.

 **"A problem. Get going, report back to your boss! We'll talk later!" Kurama pushed Gyuki towards the exit while Faunus clamored around to get to his companions. Gyuki looked back at him with a brief nod before he disappeared into the crowd. Kurama looked over towards Blake and Sun, who were fighting their way to a window on the second floor.**

"It was like wading through water." The Faunus complained, "They were all rookies, too."

Yang patted her head. "There, there."

Blake wanted to glare, but she was honestly tired of trying for now.

 **"Stop them! Don't let them get away!" Torchwick ordered while he fumbled around on stage to find the hatch of his mech. Kurama pulled the concealed Rikudo from his back and extended it out into its spear form. He grabbed a nearby member of the White Fang and drained him of Aura to the point that he lost consciousness.**

 **"There's another one! Fire!"**

 **Kurama ducked behind an overturned refreshment table as a hail of bullets rang out. Many new Faunus cried out in fear and ran for the exits. Kurama twisted the pole of Rikudo so that his weapon would shift into its rifle form. Kurama made a few blind shots and scowled when he heard a mechanical hiss.**

 _ **Damn, looks like Torchwick is in his new toy**_ **.**

"Well, at least his doll will break soon."

"After getting trashed." Weiss smirked to Yang.

"Hey," the blonde pointed out, "it was all part of the plan."

"Uh-huh."

 **A loud boom had Kurama pop his head up to see a gaping hole in the warehouse wall, the lights and sounds of Vale's twilight filtered in while the massive Paladin rushed out.**

 **"Oh, crap." Kurama mumbled before he ducked back down behind cover. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket-Scroll, a variant of the Academy issued Scroll. A read of his thumb and the device slid open. "Guys answer the Scroll! It's Kurama, we've got a problem!"**

 **The trip from Beacon to Yang's contact was a long one, even at the crazy speeds Yang went. Naruto didn't complain. The speed had made for a good excuse to cling to his girlfriend's back and, when she asked, he had said that she was being poked because of the motorcycle's vibration. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely false, either. Not that Yang really minded.**

"And that's why I fear she likes her bike too much." Blake mumbled while Yang gave a shameless smile.

 **"It's okay, my baby Bumblebee makes me excited, too!" Yang had told him over the wind. "Really gets the blood pumping!"**

Ruby covered her ears, "How can that come some easily from your mouth?!"

Yang shrugged, sex appeal rolled off her like aura.

 **For a moment, Naruto was tempted to ask if they could make a detour after she said that. Then his conscious had to be a damn cock-block and make itself known. As much as he tried not to, Naruto's thoughts drifted to the situation concerning himself, Yang and Emerald. Naruto hadn't thought about it since the night before, and of all the times his thoughts go to his ex, it's right when he's practically clinging to his new, less-than-a-month girlfriend on her sexy motorcycle when they're going crazy stupid fast.**

Yang pouted, "So not cool, dude."

 **It was times like this that Naruto reluctantly agreed with his friends' assessments of him being an idiot.**

 **Thankfully, he was saved from displaying his idiocy as Yang pulled into a small parking lot outside of a club with a neon blue sign that read "Hei Days". After she parked, Yang took her helmet off and set it on Bumblebee's handlebars. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at Naruto.**

 **"So, think you can manage** _ **getting off**_ **Bumblebee?"**

 **Naruto laughed sarcastically at her innuendo. "That's real classy, Yang."**

 **"Says the one with a boner."**

"…Oh my." Pyrrha turned red along with Weiss and Blake as they stared at the, uh, noticeable bulge on the screen.

Yang grinned and interlaced her hands behind her head. "Yeah. Me and my bike are irresistible."

 **"...Touché." Naruto chuckled as he stood up and adjusted his jacket. He slipped his hands into his pockets and followed Yang as she walked up the steps with a confidant smile on her face. A tall man stood in front of the door with a clipboard in hand. He was built like a brick wall, so Naruto correctly assumed he was the bouncer. The bouncer wore a button up shirt with a red tie, a black vest, matching dress slacks and very expensive looking shoes. Reddish-black oval sunglasses hid his eyes and his hair was shaved off entirely.**

 **The bored bouncer didn't look up from his clipboard when the two blondes walked up to the stage. "IDs please."**

 **Yang's smile turned into a grin. She leaned over to whisper into her boyfriend's ear. "Watch this."**

 **"Dinner and a show? You spoil me." Naruto returned with a small grin of his own as she returned her attention to the bouncer.**

 **"You know what?" Yang's voice made the bouncer freeze and pale. "I think this place looks better than it did the last time I was here. New neon, a nice new door, and, are those designer shoes? I hope that's not all the compensation that was given to you after I tossed you through a window."**

"…Yang, what did you do?" Blake asked with uneasiness.

Ruby beat Yang to the punch, "Oh, she totally trashed the place and got banned…but she doesn't care and would still go back there."

Yang pouted, "So not cool, Rubes."

 **The bouncer slowly looked up, sparing only a second to look at Yang's breasts, before his gaze met Yang's. Naruto was a bit irritated that the man looked at his girlfriend's chest, but he was more impressed that the bouncer decided Yang's identity was more important to him than ogling the wondrous bust Yang loved to display.**

 **Naruto was very aware that Yang was attractive, even a blind man could see that, but he was still her new boyfriend and there was a bit of concern that someone would try something stupid like hit on her. The saving grace for most that would try is that Naruto knew Yang was a flirt, but she was as not 'loose' as some would believe. The 'promiscuous girl' was a mask, an act to ward off those that would try to delve deeper.**

"Oh, that makes sense actually." Jaune said, rubbing his chin.

"…You thought I was loose?" Yang asked, her eyes narrowed.

Jaune sputtered, "N-No! You're just very flirty and stuff!"

Yang pointed at him. "You're on thin ice, mister."

"Yes ma'am." The blond squeaked in fear.

 **Naruto was one of the rare few to witness her drop her masks, one of her true friends.**

 **This bouncer, however, was not.**

 **Poor bastard looked like he was going to start shitting bricks in his expensive pants.**

 **Naruto almost felt bad for the guy. Then he remembered that the bouncer had ogled Yang's chest. Sure it was only a second, but like Naruto said before, he was still her new boyfriend with a few mild concerns.**

 **Ah, retribution.**

 **"Y-You're blacklisted." The bouncer managed to get out after a moment of staring. He slowly put his pen in his other hand so that his now free hand could slowly move down to his hip, where a radio was attached.**

 **"Blacklisted? Why? Look at the new stuff I got you!" Yang complained as she gestured at the apparently refurbished front doors.**

"Really," the blonde huffed. "You'd think I'd get some thanks for that? But No! Jerks."

 **"Junior's orders, not mine." The bouncer apologized sincerely. His hand was mere centimeters from hitting the panic button on his radio.**

 **Yang pouted and crossed her arms under her bust. "What a jerk. He's the one that started it."**

 **As much as Naruto wanted to believe that, he really doubted it. Deciding that they were wasting enough time, Naruto stepped forward and put a hand on Yang's shoulder.**

 **"Let me try." Yang turned and frowned at him.**

 **"Give me five more minutes, Whisker Boy. I can get us in, no problem."**

"You mean brained him?" Ruby remarked to her sister sarcastically.

"You say tomato, I say tohmato."

 **The bouncer's hand shot down like a serpent to grab the radio, only to grab air. He looked down, panicked at the sight of his missing radio, and looked back up when Naruto cleared his throat. In Naruto's hand was the radio he was looking for, and the whiskered blond grinned at him.**

 **"Now don't go doing something you'll regret." Naruto warned. His hand squeezed and the radio exploded. "Whoops. Sorry, I didn't want to drop the radio, so I held onto it** _ **real**_ **tight."**

Yang clapped her hands, "Brilliant."

 **"...Oh God...There's** _ **two**_ **..."**

"I know, it gives me nightmares, too." Ruby nodded. She idly wondered, if it this relationship would ever happen in real life, what her nieces and nephews would be like? Ruby doubted they'd just have one kid after all.

 **Naruto's eye twitched. His smile became strained and his raised hand balled into a fist. "Why...does everyone...keep saying** _ **that**_ **!?"**

"Because it's true." Everyone, sans Yang, answered together.

Yang grinned at them. "Come on, guys, you say that like it's a bad thing."

 **The bouncer was unable to answer, for when Naruto said the word 'that', his fist had driven itself into the bouncer's face and had sent the bouncer flying through the doors. Naruto took a soft breath and relaxed. He looked around in mild confusion when he saw that the bouncer had disappeared.**

 **Yang snickered. "Lose something, Naruto?"**

 **"Where'd the other guy go?" Naruto asked. Yang held her sides as she laughed and Naruto frowned. "What? What happened?"**

 **"N-Nothing." Yang sniggered as she wiped a tear from her eye and recomposed herself. She looped her arm around Naruto's and grinned at him. "Door's open, let's go say hi."**

 **"Okay... You know, that guy should really get fired. I mean, disappearing on the job like that? Not cool."**

"He has anger amnesia?" Nora asked in confusion, "How does that even work?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Ruby tiredly whined and glared at Yang.

The blonde just whistled innocently.

 **Hei Days was a really popular place it seemed, and a bit of a sausage fest. There were a ton of guys that were dressed like the bouncer, only they were much scrawnier. Each one that tried to stop them with a weapon were either taken out by Yang, who punched their lights out in one go, or Naruto, who simply backhanded them hard enough that when they hit the wall, they slumped to the ground.**

 **The gauntlets on the blondes' hands probably helped with that. Yang's duel ranged shot gauntlets, Ember Celica, were more slender than Naruto's bulky Storm Breakers, but no less heavy. The shotgun chains were better concealed than Naruto's slug clips, which extended out from the side of Naruto's forearms at an odd angle. However, Naruto's gun barrels were hidden under the large 'bricks' on the back of his hands with his insignia drawn on it whereas Yang's were always out in her fight. Naruto's orange "brick hands" as Yang so crudely called them, left quite a welt on his opponents while the barrels of Yang's "golden gloves" nearly punctured the skin.**

 **"Yeah, well, at least when I'm walking up to someone they can't tell if Ember Celica is my only weapon or not." Yang returned after Naruto criticized the damage her weapon did, even when not using the lethal applications of it.**

"They really are bricky." Ruby nodded in agreement, they were like a sign saying; I got weapons!

 **"I'm a tank and I'm proud of it," Naruto said with a shrug as he looked at his right arm. The orange metal on the back of his hand did look like a brick. Maybe he should make some modifications to his weapons. He looked back at his girlfriend with a small smile. "But you've got a point, maybe I should fine tune it so my forearms don't look like blocks when Storm Breaker is concealed."**

 **"You could make bracelets-"**

 **"No." Naruto denied flatly.**

Yang let out a dismayed whine. She wanted to match!

 **"But we could match!" Yang whined. She crossed her arms and pouted when he didn't budge. "Fine, keep your dumb brick arms."**

The blonde huffed. "Jerk. He should bend to the will of my council!"

 **Naruto arched a brow and used his left thumb to press a hidden button on his palm. The gauntlets on his arms collapsed back into their 'brick' form and he hummed as he looked them over. The 'brick' started at his wrist and went back to just before his elbow joint. Naruto shrugged and interlaced his hands behind his head.**

 **"Didn't hear you complaining when we were riding Bumblebee."**

 **"I was more focused on the thing poking me in the ass." Yang returned with a huff.**

 **"And the road?"**

"Right?" Ruby asked with worry.

Yang smirked.

"Right?!"

 **"Sure."**

 **That answer mildly worried Naruto, but he got over it as they came up to a large pair of sliding double doors that slammed shut.**

 **"Huh...That's rude."**

 **"Very rude."**

 **"Maybe it's an early night. They could be locking up."**

 **"We should knock and find out."**

 **Naruto looked at Yang, who had a small grin on her face and her gauntlets were still active. He took a step in the opposite direction of the doors and watched as Yang cocked her fist back. Yang threw her punch and a shotgun blast rang out. The doors flew off of their rails and landed on the dance floor with loud bangs. People in the club stopped dancing and a record started to skip.**

 **"Well, what do you know? They aren't locking up, Yang."**

 **"I can see that, Naruto. They must not have wanted us to show up the posers on the dance floor," Yang said with a cheeky grin.**

"Time for some dirty dancing~!"

"No, no!" Ruby cried out in a stammering panic. She and Yang had taken dance lessons when they were younger…Ruby was never the same when Yang partnered up with her on their second lesson. The horror.

Yang still continued to take the classes.

 **Immediately, no less than two-dozen guns were pointed at the two blondes, mostly focused on Yang. Yang held her hands up and laughed. "Aw, all this just for me? I'm flattered boys, but I'm spoken for."**

 **"I think some are jealous," Naruto said with his own little grin as he returned to stand beside his girlfriend with his hands in his pockets. A gun prodded him in the side of the head.**

 **"You'll speak when spoken to!" A thug growled.**

 **"Are we playing Simon Says? I hate that game." Naruto mumbled.**

"I know!" Nora whined, "No one's really named Simon. So dumb."

 **The record was stopped and the people who hadn't already fled the dance floor started to do so. A man that was dressed in a fine ensemble similar to the bouncer at the door clapped his black-gloved hands once and walked up towards the group. He had short, but thick dark hair that looked like it crawled down his jawline and framed his mouth.**

 **"Alright, boys, that's enough self-esteem building for today," he said dryly. The men hesitated and his eyes narrowed. "I said** _ **enough**_ **."**

 **The group of thugs lowered their weapons and started to back away. Naruto matched the man's gaze and his arms crossed over his chest.**

 **"You must be Simon."**

"Is his name really Simon?" Nora whispered to Yang.

"No."

"See?! This is what I mean!"

 **The man arched a brow and looked at Yang. "I was hoping that** _ **if**_ **you ever came back, you'd be alone again."**

 **"Don't mind him, Junior, he's just eye candy." Naruto gave his girlfriend a hurt pout and she patted his cheek. Yang turned to grin at the man she called Junior. "So, you wanted me to come back?"**

 **"No." Junior deadpanned. He sighed and walked back towards the bar, waving his hand. "Come on. Let's get this over with before any** _ **more**_ **damage is done."**

"I honestly feel bad for him." Pyrrha frowned.

"He's a criminal, so don't." Blake told her.

"Oh, well, if you say so…"

 **"So quick to jump to the conclusion that** _ **I**_ **did anything." Yang huffed as she and Naruto followed the club owner.**

 **"There's a bit of blood on your top." Junior drawled as he slipped behind the bar and began to clean a glass. Yang looked down at her top and, sure enough, there was a red drop on the panel outside of her black shirt. Ember Celica folded into compacted bracelets and Yang wet her thumb lightly with spit to wipe it away.**

 **Narrowed lilac eyes landed on Naruto, who arched a brow. "What? I told you that your gauntlets were bleeders."**

 **"But you didn't tell me about the blood on my top?" Yang hissed.**

Yang nodded sagely. "As the boyfriend, it is your job to speak of all bloodstains. Those are really hard to get out."

"…Since when is that a boyfriends job?!" Jaune said with bewilderment.

"Since the dawn of time, Jaune-y boy." Yang imparted her wisdom upon him.

 **Naruto shrugged. "You could barely see it, and besides, its not like he couldn't see what we were doing with the small security camera that's in his bar. Right about...here." Naruto reached over the bar's counter while a stupefied Junior stared at him in shock. Naruto pursed his lips and fiddled around for a moment before he grinned. "Bingo."**

 **"Wait, no, that's-!" Junior groaned as Naruto yanked out a small screen that looked like the bar's countertop on the back. Wires dangled from the screen along with two metal rods in the side. Junior glowered at the cheekily grinning blond. "Expensive. ...I've decided that I don't like you."**

"Now that wasn't cool." Yang shook her head. "Doors and glass, perfectly fine. But not expensive stuff."

"You giant hypocrite." Ruby muttered at her sister.

 **"Oh, darn. I was going to invite you to my slumber party." Naruto returned dryly before he chucked the screen over his shoulder. A shatter was heard in the distance. "Oops. Sorry. Butter fingers."**

 **"...What do you want, Blondie?" Junior asked as his gaze went back to Yang, who was looking at Naruto with a furrowed brow.**

 **"How'd you know that was there?" Yang asked her boyfriend. She was a bit surprised by the sudden turnabout in personality.**

"We got a balance thing going, I wreck a little stuff, and he gives me what I want." Yang explained slowly. "Naruto's sort of going too far."

"You are property damage incarnated!"

"I said it was a balance!" she complained to her sister's whining.

 **Naruto looked at her and then at Junior. "I saw it in the reflection of the glass he was cleaning. It was to be hidden so he could blackmail potential clients or identify anyone that tried to rob him. I'm guessing the security room that your men operate is just a ruse. That way, if it's targeted no real harm is done. After all, why trust a bunch of idiots with your business venture's security?"**

 **"...I** _ **really**_ **don't like you, kid." Junior glowered while Yang gaped.**

"…That was clever." Weiss admitted.

"Sexy and smart? Mama like the smexy." Yang grinned.

 **Naruto grinned again and leaned against the bar. "Buddy, you wouldn't be the first to say that."**

 **"Wow...I knew you had something between your ears, Naruto, but I wasn't expecting that," Yang said, which prompted Naruto to winked at her. Both blondes turned back to the club owner and Yang leaned on the bar with arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes. "So...What have you and Torchwick been up to lately?"**

 **"Who?" Junior asked with a brow arched. His eyes flicked to the right and back fast, but not fast enough to be unseen. Naruto subtly followed the gaze and saw two girls, twins, who were seated not far away in a booth. One was dressed in red and black, the other silver and cyan. The twins had their gaze on the three conversing individuals. They must be Junior's real muscle...and apparently had something against Yang if the narrowed glare was anything to go by.**

Yang smiled wickedly, "Oh, I'll fight them again. And kick ass. As usual~"

 **"Don't play dumb," Yang said with a frown. Naruto returned his attention to the conversation when his girlfriend pointed at Junior. "I saw him here, and I'm fairly certain that enough lien could convince others that they did, too. Enough to get Police curious."**

 **"Are you threatening me?" Junior asked as he set his glass down and he narrowed his eyes on Yang.**

 **"Are you stupid?" Yang countered as a smirk spread across her face. "You lost against one, remember? How much you want to bet you'll lose against two?"**

"Nightmare fuel right there." Blake confessed with a little smile.

Yang shoved her lightly. "Please, two is always better than one!" she struck a pose, "And who wouldn't want two of this?"

Hands went up and Yang frowned.

"Jerks."

 **Junior pursed his lips and sighed. "Point taken. Alright, yes, I did do some business with Torchwick when you first came here, but I haven't seen him since."**

 **"What kind of business?" Yang asked.**

 **Junior shrugged and crossed his arms. "The usual. Torchwick hired my boys for a job. Guess he wasn't pleased with them though, since he hasn't come back for any more. Not that I can blame him."**

"True, they seem to be fodder at best." Weiss, bluntly and cruelly, said.

Blake sighed, "They just don't make minions like they used to."

 **Junior's gaze went to his men that were trying to clean the doors up before he looked back at Yang. "Anything else?"**

 **"You didn't do any other business with him?" Yang asked. Junior shook his head. Yang frowned and leaned away from the bar. "I guess we're done here then."**

 **Naruto didn't. He put his hand on the counter and when he pulled it back, there was a green lien card. "I want something else. Information."**

 **"Naruto?" Naruto looked at Yang for a second before he looked back at Junior. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him along, but he didn't move. He'd decided on something that was bothering him, and after a moment of internal debate, Naruto decided to get this over with.**

 **The club owner looked at the lien before he looked at Naruto. "What do you want to know?"**

 **"What do** _ **you**_ **know about a girl named Emerald Sustrai?"**

"…And now it got real." Nora summed up her opinion.

Yang pursed her lips, a bit unnerved by this development. She wondered how her other would react.

* * *

 **Merry New Years Eve people, enjoy!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XIV: Evening News**

"We have been showing up a lot lately on TV." Ruby commented.

"At least we get to say hi to dad." Yang smirked.

Ruby gained an excited look, "Right?!"

 **Yang's grip on Naruto's arm tightened after he asked his question, but Naruto kept his gaze firmly on Junior. The man's curious expression went through several changes – surprise, worry, and anger – before he settled with a grim look. Junior grabbed the lien and pushed it back.**

 **"Get out."**

 **Breaking from Yang's grip, Naruto's arm shot out and his hand grabbed Junior's tie. He pulled the club owner from behind the bar and used his other hand to wrap around Junior's head. Junior was slammed face first into the bar before his head was turned to the side.**

 **"I'm asking** _ **nicely**_ **." Naruto warned as his skin flickered with golden aura. He pushed down with his hand on Junior's head and the club owner let out a grunt. "Don't make this difficult for me, Xiong. I'd rather** _ **not**_ **put you in critical care."**

"Okay, this is getting violent." Pyrrha frowned and looked at Yang. "Do you do this?"

"No, I don't do critical damage…at least not on purpose." The blonde mumbled.

 **"Miltiades! Melanie!" Junior's voice travelled through the club and the twins moved from their booth. The one in silver and green jumped up and aimed a descending axe kick at Naruto's head. Naruto kept one hand on Junior's head while the other released the club owner's tie and raised to catch the ankle of the girl with a now noticeably bladed heel. Naruto turned his head to avoid the second kick and adjusted his grip to drive the girl's bladed heel into the counter.**

"Table top battles just got a whole new meaning." Jaune whistled.

 **"Militia!" The heeled girl called to her twin while she used her arms to try and free herself. A sharp red claw was intercepted by Yang's golden gauntlet before it could come any closer to Naruto's head.**

 **"Thanks," Naruto said to his girlfriend as he defended himself against the heeled attacks of the other twin – known now as Melanie, since the other was Militia, which Naruto assumed to be short for Miltiades. Despite being stuck, she knew how to adapt to a situation.**

 **"You are in** _ **so**_ **much trouble right now, Naruto." Yang returned as she fought off the clawed twin while her normally golden hair burst into flame.**

"He done goofed~!" Nora sang out.

Yang nodded, "Goofed indeed!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Great, Yang's boring love drama."

"Hey! My drama is not boring!"

 **She drove a punch into Milta's gut and the accompanying shotgun blast sent the red-themed girl back to her booth. Yang's now red eyes glared at his blue when he looked at her. "Who is Emerald?"**

"You'll sort of meet her soon." Yang groaned, rubbing her face. This was not going to be good.

 **"Can we not? Please? Not now?" Naruto asked as he used his shins to parry Melanie's low kicks from her one free leg. With a growl, Naruto's skin turned gold and he stomped down hard on Melanie's foot before she could try to kick him again. The girl cried at her broken toes and that Naruto had 'ruined [her] pedicure!' While her pain distracted Melanie, Naruto turned over and used both hands to push down on Junior's head, which elected a cry of agony from the club owner, while his feet lifted up and kicked Melanie hard in the face.**

 **He might have overdone it, though, as Melanie was knocked away from the bar and embedded in the far wall.**

 **"No!" Yang growled as she slipped under Militia's attempted stab and wrapped an arm around the girl's neck while her other hand twisted a wrist behind Militia's back. Yang took a rear head-butt to the face, showing no damage afterwards, and then flung herself back. Militia was thrown from the grasp back at the twin's booth once more, this time landing in a heap atop the table. The table groaned before it collapsed to the ground.**

"Ar-Are you guys actually arguing while fighting people casually?" Ruby asked.

"Seems so, yeah."

"…Couples are weird." Ruby decided.

 **Naruto looked at Yang, who still had glowing hair and red eyes locked in a glare on his form, and then past her at Militia. The red and black themed twin was atop the remains of the broken table and looked completely out of it. Deciding that perhaps he'd made a mistake in asking his question in front of Yang, Naruto looked down at Junior, whose arm fumbled around for something behind the bar, and scowled.**

 **"Where were we? Oh right." Naruto slid Junior slightly to the left and away from whatever his arm was reaching for. "You were going to answer my question."**

 **"Guh, look kid, I want to answer your question, but I don't want anymore trouble than I already have!" Junior grit out. Naruto lifted Junior's head from the bar and held the man's head in his hands. Junior cried out in agony when Naruto's skin shone brightly and the whiskered blond tightened his grip on his cranium.**

 **"I don't know who you're so afraid of that you won't talk, but you need to realize that they're not here right now," Naruto said darkly. He tightened his grip and Junior let out another cry. "** _ **I**_ **am."**

"…By a show of hands, how scary was that delivery?" Jaune raised his hand as he asked the question. A few people followed his example.

"And how hot was it?" Yang asked, her hand raised. A beat passed before Nora, Pyrrha and Blake raised their hands slightly, earning them some odd looks from their teammates and friends. Yang smirked. "Yeah, thought so."

 **"Alright! Alright, alright, alright, I'll talk!" Junior screamed and the pressure on his head lessened. "Emerald Sustrai. Thief. She's a thief round your age. Good at it, too, despite that. Referenced her to a few clients and got thirty percent of the take. Came in a few nights ago with some pretty boy named Mercury. They were asking about an old member of the White Fang that was rumored to be in town. Said they were hired to escort him out."**

Blake grimaced.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"That's code to take him out…"

Everyone looked worried over this.

 **"What's his name?" Naruto asked. Junior hesitated and Naruto sighed before he tightened his grip again. "Junior..."**

 **"Ah, God! Tukson! His name is Tukson! Owns a bookstore! Tukson's Book Trade! That's all I know, I swear! I swear to God that's all I know!"**

Blake's shoulders sagged.

"You knew him?" her partner asked.

"Yeah, he was… a really nice guy. One of the more rational minded members before things went too south and he got out of it." Blake said quietly.

 **Naruto released Junior's head and the man dropped onto the countertop of his bar, gasping for air. He looked at Yang, who continued to glare at him, before he looked at the lien on the counter. With a shrug, he turned and left with Yang right behind him, the glow in his body dimmed to nothing while the grunts and patrons of the club watched in fear.**

 **As they neared the exit, the silence between Naruto and Yang was broken by the former. "My ex-girlfriend."**

Yang rubbed her arm nervously, why did she think this was not going to go well?

 **"What?" Yang frowned.**

 **"Emerald Sustrai. She's my ex-girlfriend," Naruto said as his eyes met Yang's.**

 **"...Why did you ask about her?" Yang asked carefully as her semblance dwindled down and her eyes returned to the calm lilac they were before. Naruto stopped and pursed his lips as he carefully thought about his answer.**

 **"She's at Beacon."**

 **"You only just found that out?" Yang asked incredulously as she folded her arms over her chest and stared Naruto down.**

"Oh man," Ruby grimaced, "Yang's possibly going into BF mode."

"BF mode?" Jaune asked. "Boyfriend mode?"

"What? No." Ruby snorted. "Bitch Fit mode."

"I'm not that bad." Yang glared at her sister. "And I do _not_ have a BF mode. That is entitled to Weiss."

"Hey!"

 **"She's not a student** _ **of**_ **Beacon. She's at Beacon disguised as a student from Haven." Naruto raked his hand through his hair as he sighed. "We ran into each other a while ago. It was a...unpleasant surprise."**

 **"Because anytime you run into an ex it would be pleasant," Yang said with a snort. She frowned slightly when Naruto remained quiet. Her eyes dropped to the side awkwardly as it clicked in her head. "...Oh."**

 **"Yeah. Wasn't my choice to break up." Naruto looked up at the cloudy sky and rubbed the back of his neck. Another sigh escaped his lips and his arm dropped to his side before he looked at the other blonde. "Yang, I don't feel that way about her. Not anymore."**

"Yes, you can see that clearly when you start crushing a dude's skull for information on her." The blonde frowned.

 **"No, yeah, I kind of figured that after you interrogated Junior for information about her," Yang said sourly. The words stung, but they were to be expected.**

 **"I mean it," Naruto said as he took one of Yang's hands in his own. He gave her a small smile and looked down at their hands. "This...Feels** _ **right**_ **. I** _ **like**_ **this. I like** _ **you**_ **, I like** _ **us**_ **."**

"…Us is good, I like Us." Yang smiled in agreement. Us looked really fun.

 **"...It is fun," Yang said with her own smile as she looked down at Naruto's slightly larger hand around hers. Her fingers intertwined with his. "Shame your gauntlets are so ugly."**

 **"Yang." He watched her look up into his eyes and he squeezed her hand gently. "Please. I want us to work. I don't...I don't want to lose this."**

 **Yang was quiet for a moment before he felt her squeeze his hand. "What did you mean when you said she is 'disguised' as a Haven student?"**

"Ah, here comes the; They are actually the bad guys, explanation. Really, how did they slip in?" Weiss complained.

"There are cracks in every system." Ren told the heiress.

 **Naruto hesitated for a moment and looked away. This was something important to him. He liked hanging out with Yang, he liked** _ **being**_ **with Yang. Not to the point of love, not yet, but he didn't want to risk missing out on it if he did. However, Team NHKS was acting without any written approval when they looked into the students of Haven. If anything got out,** _ **anything**_ **, it would mean the end of their hunting career. The end of their road. Could he really trust Yang with that? Drop that weight on her shoulders?**

"Yes." Yang answered under her breath in an instant.

 **"Naruto, I need to know," Yang said to him. Her grip slacked and slowly pulled away. "If you can't tell me...I don't know how far we'll go. A secret like this nearly tore my team apart. I can't...I** _ **won't**_ **let something like that happen again."**

 **Yes.**

 **Naruto tightened his grip on Yang's hand and he looked back up at her, his eyes hard and his jaw set. "Yang. You have to** _ **swear**_ **to keep this between us. You can't tell anyone. Not Weiss. Not Blake. Not even Ruby."**

"Hey!" Ruby complained, she could keep secrets!

 **"Why-?"**

 **"I mean it, Yang." Naruto cut her off as he closed the distance between them just a bit more. His hand released Yang's and joined the other to rest on her shoulders. "This is something huge. Something that could reignite The War if it's found out by the wrong people."**

 **Yang's face turned grim and she put a hand on his arm. "Naruto, this is another secret that-"**

 **"I know. I know how horrible this is for me to ask, but please Yang." Naruto implored as he looked into her eyes. "Please,** _ **promise**_ **me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."**

 **They stared silently at each other for what felt like forever. Naruto felt his heart pound in his chest and his arms trembled lightly as Yang continued to stare into his eyes. Finally, after what felt like hours passed, Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Yang spoke.**

 **"I promise."**

"Of course I would." Yang smiled at her other.

 **Naruto pulled Yang into a tight hug that surprised the both of them, but wasn't unwelcomed.**

 **"Thank you." Naruto mumbled. He didn't realize how much he needed to hear that, how badly he wanted to see their relationship grow, until just now. Yang's arms wrapped gently around his sides and he let out another breath of relief. They pulled apart and Yang gave Naruto a firm stare.**

 **"Now...Tell me everything, Naruto."**

"How good was the sex so I can do better?"

"Yang!" were the cries from her team, despite the blonde having a serious look on her face.

"It's important!"

 **"Bust her face open...no, no, too gentle..." Yang mumbled darkly as she sped through the streets of Vale with a mildly concerned Naruto seated behind her on Bumblebee. "Maybe I'll take a page from Nora's book and break her legs."**

Nora cheered in glee. "I'll even hold them down!"

Ren then scolded her on how that sounded so wrong.

 **"Yang, can you please focus more on driving and less on killing Emerald?" Naruto asked. She ignored him and continued to grumble to herself while Naruto sighed.**

 **At first, Naruto was pleasantly surprised that Yang didn't want to kill Emerald off that bat for breaking up with him, rationalizing that if the "dumb bitch" hadn't, they would've never hooked up. That was pretty sensible and he could agree with it. However, when it came to the whole when and how Naruto ran into Emerald, Yang's pleasant mood – well, as pleasant as you can be when you're told about a secret alliance that could potentially spell doom for the peace between the Four Kingdoms – quickly soured after Naruto mentioned that Ruby had met the girl first.**

 **Outside their room.**

 **During the night** _ **before**_ **.**

 **While Yang was still** _ **awake**_ **.**

"Yeah, I'd be ticked off." The busty blonde agreed.

"More like livid." Ruby muttered fearfully.

 **Needless to say, protective sister mode had efficiently been switched to "On." The possessive girlfriend setting quickly joined it when Yang inquired more about Emerald. Naruto didn't mind it much, he found the slight possessiveness attractive. Then it became worrying after she started to insult Emerald with colorful language.**

"She really has to get that switch a dimmer, it only has one setting." Weiss mumbled.

Yang glared at her. "Nonsense! It's perfectly functioning."

Ruby shook her head in disagreement behind Yang's back.

 **Naruto ignored his girlfriend's disturbing grumbles – how and/or why the hell would a taco turn blue, Naruto had no desire to determine – when his pocket buzzed. Reaching into his pocket, Naruto lifted it up to his ear just as Yang suddenly made a right into an alleyway and came to a stop.**

 **"Hello?" "What?!" Naruto and Yang both answered their scrolls.**

"While driving?" Pyrrha frowned, "Honestly Yang."

"It was important!" The blonde protested with pink cheeks. She knew talking and driving was bad, but sometimes you had to!

 **"** _ **We have a problem!**_ **" "** _ **We need help NOW!**_ **"**

 **"Blake? Why do you need he-?" Yang was cut off by the sound of an approaching yell. Both she and Naruto turned to look behind them, staring in disbelief at what they saw.**

 **"A FREAKING GIANT ROBOT IS CHASING US!" Sun cried out as he and Blake fled from a pursuing mechanical beast. "THIS IS HORRIFYINGLY AWSOME!"**

 **"...Kurama, are you still there?" Naruto asked calmly.**

 **"** _ **I take it that means you saw it?**_ **"**

 **"Oh, I saw it. It's the believing part that I need to work on."**

"Believe it!" Jaune said, his eyes wide, "Seriously, why is it robots?"

Grimm had claws, and now robots with guns.

So not fair.

 **"** _ **Better believe it, Naruto. Sun and Blake are being chased by a mechanical monstrosity operated and stolen by none other than Roman Torchwick.**_ **"**

 **"...Yang, you might want to put those plans of yours on hold," Naruto said as he collapsed his scroll and placed it back in his jacket. "We need to help them."**

 **"Right. Save Blake and Sun, then kill the bitch."**

"Your priorities are amazing." Blake deadpanned.

"I try." The blonde partner returned.

 **"** _ **What?**_ **" Ruby and Weiss, who were apparently still on Yang's Scroll message, asked at the same time. Naruto reached over and ended the call.**

 **"Yang. Drive."**

 **Yang tucked her scroll back into her jacket and revved Bumblebee's engine. "Hang on, Whisker Boy."**

 **"No arguments here." Naruto grinned as he wrapped his arms slightly around Yang's stomach. She spun around in the alley, the rear tire kicked up asphalt as she did, before the two blondes tore out of the alleyway and after the rampaging robot.**

 **"Damn, I mean I've heard of road rage, but this is ridiculous." Naruto mused as the war machine started to toss and shove cars out of its way.**

"Atlas Paladins, the new way to drive." Jaune smiled charmingly. "Now that's a commercial for a product."

Yang made a fart noise, "Kinda flat and its got no boobs to draw my attention. Sorry dude."

"I'd buy four!" Nora smiled eagerly. Ren paled at the very notion.

 **"Duck!" Yang warned as she ducked her head down.**

 **"Wha-Oof!" Naruto's head flew back as the remains of a wrecked car door hit him dead on. Narrowed golden eyes returned their attention to Torchwick's bipedal tank when Sun and the car he stood on were shoved off of the freeway. "Okay. Now I'm pissed."**

 **"Think you can stop him?" Yang asked.**

"No, couple tag team him." Yang eagerly suggested. "I want to see us do a wrestling move I saw!"

"Wrestling's fake." Blake drawled.

"Still awesome though!"

 **Naruto grinned and his eyes flashed. "Oh, ye of little faith. Yang, this is me we're talking about. If I don't stop him, the least I'm going to do is make him regret deciding to do this."**

 **"Then get to work, Whisker Boy."**

 **"Yes, Ma'am." Naruto unwound his arms from Yang's midsection and scooted back on Bumblebee's seat. Carefully, he began to stand up on the bike seat, all the while his semblance began to show itself as his body began to glow. Standing completely upright, Naruto took a moment to breathe and then slammed his fists together. His gauntlets folded out over his hands and the concealed barrels revealed themselves. Naruto held his left hand behind him and waited for the right moment. That moment came after Neptune jumped down from an overpass and drove his trident into the machine's right rocket launcher.**

Weiss cheered, "Go Neptune!"

"Go Naruto!" Jaune cheered in mild spite.

 **"Try to keep up," Naruto said to Yang before a blast fired from his gauntlet. Using the kick to his advantage, Naruto's jump was amplified to send him across cars into the back of Torchwick's war machine. He kept a tight grip on the left rocket pack and looked over at the blue haired trident user.**

 **"So nice of you to join me," Neptune said while he tried to pry his weapon free. "Any ideas on how to stop this Paladin?"**

 **"A few." Naruto grinned as he used his free hand to punch deep into the space between the robot's right arm and the cockpit. Naruto grabbed onto something that felt like a chord. "This feels important."**

 **With a firm yank, Naruto ripped the chord out of the hole he made. The right rocket launcher shuddered and Neptune gave him a look.**

 **"I** _ **really**_ **don't like you right now."**

 **"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Naruto asked sheepishly. He grimaced as the launcher and the blue haired hunter suddenly shot up into the air, the Mistral teen screaming as he was fired into Sun. "...Hm, probably not."**

"What is his malfunction?!" Weiss practically screamed. She clawed at her head. "How does he mess that up?"

"In all fairness," Yang started, "He was pulling blindly."

"That doesn't make up for that at all!"

 **Naruto decided not to dwell on the injuries he may have just inadvertently caused Sun's teammate. Instead, he pulled himself up and dropped down to look into the cockpit. A rather angry ginger sat within the machine, but he seemed even angrier when he locked eyes with the blond.**

 **"** _ **You**_ **!" Torchwick growled through the intercom.**

 **"Sir, you are currently rampaging in a No-Rampaging Zone! Stop the robot now or I** _ **will**_ **use force!"**

"There should be laws against that!" Nora huffed.

"There are." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Then we should have a Megazord to stop him!"

Jaune struck a pose, "Go Go Super Sentai!"

"Oh yeah!" Ruby cheered with stars in her eyes.

 **"** _ **Get off of my machine, you little twat!**_ **"**

 **"Get your machine off of my road, you giant prick!"**

 **Roman snarled and did something to make the mech start to spin its torso rapidly. Naruto tightened his grip and closed his eyes.**

 **"Oh, Oum, make it stop!" He cried. His face started to turn green. "Oh, I knew I shouldn't have had the shrimp ramen!"**

 **"** _ **Don't you dare-! Ugh...this is why I**_ **hate** _ **kids.**_ **"**

"And that is why I'm not allowed on the tiltawhirl anymore." Ruby pouted.

"Looks like that's another thing you and your future brother in law can bond on." Yang mused.

"...He's. Not. Real." Blake repeated for the umpteenth time.

"Let me dream, dammit!"

 **"Hey! I'm a teenager!" Naruto returned as he wiped the back of his mouth and leaned away from the now obscured glass when Torchwick stopped the spinning feature. He grinned. "Hey, Torch-head, is that a new product you're wearing? I think it's a** _ **huge**_ **improvement."**

 **"** _ **Do you know how hard it was to steal this thing!?**_ **"**

 **"Probably about as hard as you're going to hit the ground in a few seconds." Naruto quipped as he turned and waved at Weiss, who dropped from a nearby overhead. The heiress spun her rapier around and stabbed it into the ground. While ice started cover the ground, Naruto looked back at the puke-covered cockpit and gave the man within a two-fingered salute. "Hey Torch-head, I hope you have a nice trip!"**

 **"** _ **What does that even-Oh, there**_ **are** _ **wipers!**_ **" Torchwick smirked as he cleared away the semi-digested shrimp ramen that covered his cockpit.**

"I was wondering when he would use those." Ren admitted, "You'd think he would have done that to Naruto first and spray him in the face."

"Ah." Yang wiped away a fake tear. "The classics."

 **His smirk vanished as he spotted the upcoming obstacle.**

 **"See ya next fall!" Naruto chuckled as he jumped off of the mech before its foot stepped on the ice. He landed beside Weiss as Torchwick toppled over the edge of the highway. "** _ **Weiss**_ **one, Sneeze."**

 **"...No, just...just no."**

 **"Eh, Yang would like it."**

Weiss glared at Yang. "She would since it was from him, the biased jerk."

"Meh, he kisses me, you don't." Yang let her eyes droop suggestively. "But if you started..."

"I will freeze you solid."

"Weiss cold...Weiss so cold..."

"Argh!"

 **Naruto and Weiss dropped down to land beside Ruby, Blake and Yang across from Torchwick's machine.**

 **"So...What exactly** _ **is**_ **that thing?" Naruto asked as he held his fists up at the ready.**

 **"The Atlesian Paladin-290." The five teens turned to Yang's left as Sasuke dropped down beside her and Haku stepped out of a mirror beside him. "Newest model in warfare, fresh off of the factory floor."**

 **"** _ **Not even available in stores. I skipped pre-ordering altogether,**_ **" Torchwick said with a chuckle as his Paladin lifted its arms and made fists.**

"That's not fair!" Nora whined, "I was put on a twenty year back list when I want to order one."

Everyone stared at her in horror. That was just too horrifying to imagine if Nora ever got her hands on a Paladin.

 **"He stole it and others." Blake added as she lifted her katana. "However, I highly doubt it can stand alone against seven Hunters."**

 **"** _ **Quite so, which is why while you were all chatting it up, I was making a quick call.**_ **" Torchwick cackled, which prompted Naruto to roll his eyes.**

 **"Always with the evil cackles. Never do I fight someone with a nice chortle."**

"He has a point." Yang agreed.

Weiss palmed her face. "Really?"

 **"Is that** _ **really**_ **what's bothering you the most right now?"**

 **Naruto looked and Weiss with an arched brow. "Are you** _ **not**_ **?"**

 **"Be bothered later! Snow Daze!" Ruby called out as she, Blake, Yang, Sasuke and Haku jumped away from the approaching Paladin. Naruto appeared unfazed and didn't move as Weiss stabbed her rapier into the ground again, causing the surface beneath his feet to ice over. The Paladin jumped over the ice and over the two atop it.**

 **"** _ **Fool me once-!**_ **" Torchwick's jeer was cut off as Naruto jumped up and caught the Paladin's rear foot just as it passed overhead and pulled. The machine toppled forward and the smile on Torchwick's face fell when he realized the cockpit was falling right towards Yang.**

 **"Shame on you." Yang finished as she delivered a powerful uppercut that knocked the Paladin back into the air.**

"A real shame…it had a nice chrome job." Jaune commented as the thing soared.

"Don't worry, we got it repo-ed." Ruby assured, "I think the science wing got it."

"No, they had it for five minutes until Atlas officers took it." Weiss told her partner.

"Aw, no Super Beacon Zord?"

"No." Weiss told Ruby flatly.

Ruby, Jaune and Nora pouted.

 **The group all grinned as they watched the Paladin land a good distance away. The grins fell into grimaces as a Paladin-like mech landed beside Torchwick's rising Paladin.**

 **"...Son of a bitch..." Naruto scowled and glared at the newcomer while his fists tightened. Though it looked like Torchwick's Paladin only less frontline worthy, the new mech had a designed painted onto it. However, it was not the marking of the White Fang. Instead of a wolf with three claw marks, there was a red mushroom cloud painted onto the mech. There was also a massive pack in place of the rocket launchers.**

 **"Fourth War...Take it down!"**

"Now that's not a cool tag team," Ruby frowned, "Why do all bad guys have to work together? Why can't we have separate bad guys?"

"Because the world hates good guys?" Weiss suggested, making Ruby gasp.

"What has this world come to?!"

 **Sasuke snarled as black Aura crackled around him and he rushed forward. Naruto's body shone brightly with gold Aura as he followed his teammate's example. The raven-haired teen ducked under a thrown punch from the mech, but failed to avoid the lightning quick backhand that sent him flying into Naruto.**

 **"** _ **You called me from my work to deal with a few children, Torchwick?**_ **" The cloud bearing machine's operator asked in annoyance.**

 **"** _ **Hey, these kids are freaking**_ **weird** _ **, man! Besides, you talk like I'm not paying you!**_ **"**

 **"** _ **For something this tedious, you should give me double.**_ **"**

 **"** _ **D-Double!?**_ **" Torchwick's Paladin turned to the Fourth War Paladin. The thief seemed outraged at the thought.**

 **"** _ **Or would you rather I take my leave?**_ **"**

 **Torchwick growled. "** _ **Fine! Double! Just deal with**_ **some** _ **of the brats!**_ **"**

"Wow, villains rip off villains? That's new." Ruby blinked.

Blake shrugged, "Not really, it happens more often than not."

 **"** _ **As you insist.**_ **" The member of the Fourth War chuckled lowly. The pack on its back opened up and no less than one hundred robotic foot soldiers with the Fourth War Cloud painted on their featureless heads dropped out of the pack. "** _ **My model, designated as 'King', is not as offensive as your...compensating Paladin model–**_ **" "** _ **Hey!**_ **" "** _ **–But it does come with a few Pawns to defend their king.**_ **"**

 **"Oh, goodie, there's even** _ **more**_ **robots." Blake irritably bit out.**

Blake hissed, "I hate robots, for life."

"Robophobia?"

"Ruby, that's not a thing."

Nora was looking through her scroll. "Aha! It's a thing! Don't worry, Blake, we'll help you through this!"

 **She raised her pistol and took a shot at one. To her surprise, the bullet was deflected by Sasuke's blade. All of the girls on Team RWBY gave the teen confused looks.**

 **"Take out Torchwick." Sasuke grit out as black arcs of Aura crackled across his body. He aimed his sword at the Pawns and narrowed his eyes. "They're ours."**

 **"Sasuke." The teen looked at Naruto, who grinned as he cracked his knuckles and stood on Sasuke's right. "I'll take the fifty on the right, you take the fifty on the left."**

 **"Screw you, Uzumaki. I'll take fifty-** _ **one**_ **."**

 **"That's the spirit!**

"Okay, that's just funny." Weiss confessed as Ruby giggled.

"Boys can be so weird."

 **First one to finish gets to rip the 'king' apart."**

 **"You're on."**

 **The two teens ran head first into the mass of machines and soon lost themselves to the joys of mechanical slaughter. Boys will be boys, after all.**

 **"Yang?"**

 **"Yeah, Ruby?"**

 **"Your boyfriend is weird."**

"Right?" Ruby agreed, Naruto was a total nut. In a sort of cool way, but still a nut.

 **"I prefer the word 'fun'." Yang countered with a smirk before she glared at Torchwick's Paladin as it charged at them. She ran forward and met the machine's punch with one of her own.**

 **"Do you have this?" Haku asked Ruby as she and Weiss held back while Blake assisted her partner. Yang avoided a would-be crippling blow and used the ribbon to trip Torchwick up.**

 **"Yeah, go help your team." Ruby nodded over at the horde of Pawns that swarmed over Naruto and Sasuke. The two teens were hard to see, even with Naruto's glowing semblance. She looked back at her team and called out "Freezer Burn!"**

"You guys have such cool code names." Jaune sighed. He rubbed his chin. "We need codes...Let's see, there's Jail Bait..."

"...Why?" Ren asked, eyes wide.

"Well you've got black hair and Nora has orange hair, black and orange-"

"No." Nora and Ren denied.

"Argh, man this is hard!"

 **A few Pawns diverted their attention to Torchwick when he was suddenly hidden in a mist caused by a combination Yang and Weiss quickly threw together. Haku put a stop to their existence with the use of Snowfall's ranged mode. He rushed into a mirror that formed in front of him in order to escape a hit from a stray laser that came from within the cloud.**

 _ **They've gotten much better at teamwork. Though part of me wishes Ruby wouldn't call the attacks out so loudly.**_

"Hello~!" Ruby sang out, "That's the whole point of a special attack, duh."

 **Haku mused as he popped out of the Mirror and landed behind the 'King', finding a few Pawns defending the pack they came out of. He shifted Snowfall into its whip form and began to clear the way.**

 **"Thunderstruck!"**

"Them too?!" Jaune complained, a dark cloud hanging over his head. "This was so not fair."

 **The call from his team leader made Haku back into a hastily made mirror to stand on the other side of the underpass. Haku watched as black arcs of Aura spread from the center of the Pawns Horde. The Pawns froze in place and Naruto jumped up into the air with a fist cocked back. He thrust it forward just before he landed and right after Sasuke jumped up. His punch caused a shockwave that knocked all of the Pawns into the air.**

 **"Hail Storm!" Naruto called out and his two present teammates started to unload their ranged weapons into the airborne machines. The Pawns fell to the ground, disabled or destroyed. Naruto lifted a hand up and caught a Pawn on its back before it could land atop him. He tossed it to the side and grinned at his teammates. "Nice shooting guys, that's how it's done."**

"A combination within a combination? Talk about awesome." Ruby whistled, already writing some notes on how to make even better combinations.

Jaune sulked even further.

 **"** _ **Well, that's what you get when you obtain a product from overseas. Nothing is as trustworthy as something you make yourself,**_ **" the King operator said irritably. A laser target aligned itself on the back of Naruto's head and the operator smirked inside the cockpit.** _ **Let's see you stop this one, you little brat.**_

"No, not the head! I need that for making out!" Yang protested.

 **"Idiot, move!" Sasuke called out as a small cannon popped up atop the King's pack and aimed at Naruto. The barrel lit up for a brief second before the light suddenly extinguished as a shot rang out. The cannon exploded just as a loud thump came from area where the dwindling shroud of mist encased Torchwick.**

 **Naruto looked over at a distant building where he spotted a small gleam. With a grin on his face, he held up a thumb and said, "Thanks for the save, Kurama."**

"Huh, that's some aim he has." Pyrrha praised, she would usually have to propel her bullets with her semblance and control the trajectory.

 **"Damn lucky you didn't hang up on me, jackass." Kurama mumbled as he looked up from his rifle's scope and loaded another round into the chamber. He turned to the side as two familiar faces landed beside him with grunts. "Where the hell have you two been?"**

 **"Your team leader sent me on a ride." Neptune mumbled as he shifted his trident into a small rifle before he set it on his back.**

 **"I took a small dive, had to recover." Sun shrugged. He walked over and knelt down beside the prone Faunus. "How're they doing?"**

 **"Not bad, but – Oh, that's not good." Kurama mumbled as he peered through his scope at the machine that faced off against his team.**

 **"That's so not good." Naruto mumbled and took a step back as the King's robotic claw-like right hand shifted into a mace-like extension. The spiked weapon dropped and dangled in front of the King with a chain that connected it to the arm like a flail. Naruto grimaced as the flail retracted and then fired straight at him. "This is gonna su-!"**

 **Sasuke stepped to the side as Naruto flew past with the spiked mace-like weapon imbedded in his gut.**

"Man, having armor skin is really handy, but that has to still hurt." Jaune mused.

"Probably more annoying than anything really." Yang shrugged, that's what she guessed.

 **"Haku, got the radar handy?"**

 **"I checked it earlier," Haku said calmly as several of his mirrors formed around the King. The flail that had barreled into Naruto was retracted and the whiskered teen got to his feet with his arms around his stomach.**

 **"Gah, son of a bitch...He ruined my jacket! I only got, like, three more of these!" Naruto glared at the mech. "Storm Warning!"**

 **Sasuke smirked and black arcs formed around his left arm. "Right on cue."**

 **Haku ran into a final mirror that formed in front of him. He reappeared behind the King and dashed through the gap in its legs and latched the tip of Snowfall's whip form onto the interior of the right leg. He jumped over the right arm and disappeared into another mirror. Haku reappeared on the left side and ran back through the gap of the mech's legs to yet another mirror. He moved far too fast for the King operator to counter, and by the time he had finished, the King was nearly teetering due to its limbs being bound so close together.**

Nora squealed, "It's like a big present! Only to break! Someone break it."

"Yeah!" Ruby pumped her fist, "Go Team Dudes!"

"...Hey, I just realized something..." Yang grinned. "If Haku was team leader, they'd be team HNKS."

"Ehh..." Jaune began to disagree and then frowned when most of the girls nodded. "Oh, come on, seriously?"

"Let it go, Jaune. Just let it go." Ren advised with a small sigh.

 **Naruto grabbed onto the whip to help Haku keep the mech captured while Sasuke ran forward and jumped onto Snowfall's taught whip. His hand started to chirp loudly as sparks of Aura formed around it while the raven-haired teen ran at the King. In mere seconds, it sounded like thousands of birds had filled the air, which caused the three nearest Faunus to cringe at the sound.**

"Can we lower the volume?" Blake said loudly, covering her ears.

 **"This is your end," Sasuke said lowly as he pierced his chirping hand into the cockpit of the King. The arcs of black Aura lightning spread across the mech from his arm. Haku twisted his wrist to the right and Snowfall retracted from the short-circuiting war machine.**

 **Sasuke jumped back to land beside Naruto and they watched the King stumble around before it fell to the ground and the hatch popped open. Instead of a frightened – or even hastened in an effort to escape the malfunctioning machine – foe, what was displayed to the three teens made them stare in disbelief.**

 **A television screen rose up from the King's cockpit and the face of the man that was most likely operating it was obscured by static.**

"Now _that_ is cliché." Blake scoffed. Her hands away from her ears. "Of course he wasn't there. Stupid Puppet Masters, think they're so high and mighty."

 **"** _ **Nice try, boys. A good effort. You should rethink your lives. The Fourth War always has a place for those fighting for Humanity.**_ **"**

Ren winced. "He pushed the Fourth War button."

"He shouldn't of did that." Nora nodded in agreement.

 **Naruto scowled at the screen while Sasuke sneered and Haku glowered. The leader of the team glanced to the side when there was an explosion and the sound of a Bullhead's engine. Naruto returned his attention to the madman taunting them.**

 **"We'll never join you," he said. He pointed at the screen. "We are Team NHKS, future Huntsmen of Remnant, and we will stop the Fourth War once and for all."**

 **The man laughed loudly at the proclamation. His face became visible for a half second. Dreadlocks that were pulled back on his tanned skin were the most notable feature they could make out from this distance. His mouth was hidden by a bandana and his eyes were beady. The voice that spoke to them was now distorted and almost hidden by the warning alarms that came from the King.**

 **"** _ **Good luck.**_ **"**

"At least he was courteous?" Ruby said with an awkward smile.

"He was mocking them, Ruby."

"Oh, okay." Ruby nodded to Weiss' works. She frowned. "Jerks."

 **The screen cut out just before the King exploded. The sounds of the city soon became more apparent as the adrenaline wore off. Fire and police sirens came from above the teams, undoubtedly assisting those hurt or endangered by Torchwick's rampage. The engines of airborne news teams started to fill the air and several camera bots descended from above to overlook them all.**

 **"Oh, goodie. We're going to be famous," Sasuke said irritably. Naruto understood his feelings and mirrored them. He arched a brow when his scroll, something he thought smashed by the King's flail, started to buzz.**

 **Naruto pulled his scroll out and opened it. A grimace formed on his face. "Oh crap-baskets."**

"It's the shoulder monkeys." Yang grimaced, she hated someone looking over her shoulder. It was like being back in Signal all over again!

 **"** _ **So, Naruto...**_ **" Asuma began dryly as a video of the blond and his team along with Team RWBY came up on the screen. "** _ **When I said to help Team RWBY with their investigation, I meant dig up dirt, look through files and maybe rough up a few grunts. Can you tell me**_ **why** _ **there's a news report being broadcasted**_ **all over the world** _ **about ten teenagers causing chaos and destruction in Vale**_ **?"**

 **Naruto groaned and dropped his scroll to his side while he palmed his face.**

 **They were so boned.**

"Major bone-age!"

Ruby quivered for her other, no doubt her cookies would be taken just like her own after that incident.

* * *

 **Happy New Year everyone! Welcome 2016! XD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XV: Friends**

* * *

"Ooh, ominous." Ruby mumbled around a cookie.

 **"Let me see if I have this straight."**

Nora tilted her head. "Why not crooked?"

 **The tall overbearing form of James Ironwood began slowly as he paced in Professor Ozpin's office behind the all male team of first year students that did not belong in his school. Why was he here to debrief the team that Ozpin had singled out? Well, two of** _ **his**_ **machines – one supposedly a project that was still** _ **Top Secret**_ **– were discovered and witnessed alongside the teenagers in the rampage. To say General Ironwood was not a happy camper would be an understatement.**

 **The man was beyond** _ **livid**_ **.**

"I'd be bruised too if my toys were taken." Blake rolled her eyes, "Men and their toys."

"Make for a fun time?" Yang nudged her elbow into the Faunus playfully.

"No, I mean they forget the world around them."

"Oh, that too I guess."

 **Ironwood walked around and stopped in front of Team NHKS. "Roman Torchwick, one of Remnant's most wanted criminals today, has in his possession** _ **at least**_ **two or more Paladin-290s?"**

 **"As well as perhaps any other pieces that Atlas has yet to reveal," Kurama said bluntly. The glare aimed at him did little to make him sweat. He wasn't going to mince words just because the man was a General of another nation's army. Hell, he** _ **blamed**_ **the man for this whole scenario.**

"Well, it's not fully his fault." Ruby defended.

"Exactly!" Weiss agreed, "Things are always stolen. Like a train from my company."

Blake looked away innocently.

 **"Not to mention that they are being sold or even** _ **given**_ **to both the White Fang and the Fourth War. So much for, what did your speech at the CCT say? 'Ensuring peace and ending the terrorism?'"**

 **"Kurama..." Naruto warned the Faunus.**

 **"What? Am I wrong?" Kurama's hidden eyes remained focused on the steeled face of the Atlesian General. "How's it feel to know** _ **your**_ **toys are the cause for putting, how many was it? Thirty people in the hospital and fifteen in the ground?"**

"Okay, harsh." Jaune winced. Hearing that made him a bit sick inside. "That's just terrible."

 **"Kurama!" Naruto sent a dark look to his teammate that silenced the fox-tailed teen. Naruto looked at Professor Ozpin, who remained seated at his desk with a calculated look on his face. "This isn't the point. The fact that Torch-head, the White Fang and the Fourth War are not only assisting one another in obtaining illegal or even advanced tech, but we can confirm that the White Fang and the Fourth War are unified** _ **under**_ **Torch-head's mysterious group. This group is funding** _ **both**_ **factions and, while they're not directly working together, they're not opposing one another either."**

"Which is just honestly weird." Blake frowned. Why her old group would work with an Anti-Faunus group was beyond her. Money couldn't be the only reason for it. She really wanted to know how this all happened.

 **"Indeed, a troublesome thought," Ozpin said calmly. He sat back in his chair and took hold of his tea mug. Before he took a sip, Ozpin locked eyes with Naruto once more. "You and your team are dismissed, Mr. Uzumaki."**

 **"Thank you, sir." Naruto nodded back before Team NHKS stood and left as one.**

 **Once the doors had shut behind the teens, Ironwood turned and frowned at Ozpin. "We need to know more. I need to know what they know about that Fourth War operative they said had remotely operated the King-E401. From our engineer's words, that shouldn't be possible."**

 **"Yet it is," Ozpin said as he set his mug down and matched Ironwood's gaze. "Naruto is right, James. You're blinding yourself from the real threat."**

 **"What real threat?! Atlesian weaponry,** _ **top secret**_ **Atlesian projects are being stolen from right under my nose!" Ironwood countered heatedly. He slammed his gloved fist down on the desk, causing a dent to be formed. "That is the threat, Ozpin! There are things that scientists in Atlas had developed that would certainly end the treaty, and I know for a** _ **fact**_ **the other countries have done the same!"**

"All countries have their own little hidden cache of weapons for doomsday." Ren shrugged, "It happens all the time."

"Still can cause the end of the world through war." Pyrrha frowned.

"I didn't disagree."

 **"James!" Ozpin cut in as he shot up from his seat and glared at the man. "Focus! I am aware of the cold war we went through, I lived in it as much as you have! What we must do is prevent this from** _ **starting**_ **another War! That is why we united in the first place, is it not,** _ **General**_ **?"**

 **The two held a hard gaze with each other for a long while. Finally, Ironwood clenched his jaw and backed away. "Then tell me what I'm missing, Oz."**

 **"Torchwick is not in command, we know this, and we have an idea, an inkling as to who is." Ozpin calmly explained as he sat back down. "What we don't know is her endgame. We don't know why she has prevented the White Fang and Fourth War from raising arms against one another. If she had wanted to restart The War, then she would've set them against one another by now."**

 **"Maybe she still does and is just waiting for the right time." Ironwood suggested.**

 **"Perhaps, but there's the possibility that there's another reason. Another goal."**

"And that is, what?" Jaune fanned out his hands, "Seriously, this stuff is going over my head."

Weiss sighed, "Basically, big bad guys have another end game that's very bad besides the restart of The War."

Jaune frowned, "I got that, but what could be worse?"

"World domination!" Ruby gasped.

Nora snorted. "Clichéd."

 **Ozpin interlaced his hands together and frowned. "The threat we must concern ourselves with is not the future, though, it is here in the present with us."**

 **"Get to the point, Oz. What is it?" Ironwood asked tiredly.**

 **Ozpin looked up at him and then down at his mug. "The two most notable terrorist organizations today have banded together.** _ **That**_ **is the threat, Ironwood. They can speak with one another, co-ordinate, plan attacks to further spread the anger, distrust, and fear among those that already feel such away about them and the species they represent."**

Weiss pointed. "Like that, Jaune, stuff like that."

The blond grimaced. "Yeah, I see that."

 **"...Then what do we do, Oz? Continue to let your children run amok? Let my machines get stolen and go on a rampage in other countries under another's banner? The Council of Atlas will want answers, Ozpin."**

 **"As will the councils of Vale, Mistral and Vacuo, James. We will deal with them as we always have."**

 **"Tell the brutal truth to their faces and scare them into listening to our advice?"**

 **"It hasn't stopped working yet, has it?"**

"…Ozpin is awesome." Ruby whispered in awe.

 **"...You're a very shrewd man, Oz. I hope you know that."**

 **"Are you complaining about our methods?"**

 **"On the contrary, I'm complimenting you." Ironwood smiled and sat down across from Ozpin. He took the offered mug of tea and pulled a flask from his jacket. As Ironwood emptied a portion of his flask into his drink, he continued to speak.**

"Hey, no booze on campus!" Ruby complained.

"Uncle Q does it all the time back home." Yang rolled her eyes.

"That's because he's somehow drunk, but not _really_ drunk. He's weird like that."

"Huh, got a point."

 **"Have you heard anything more from our informative crow or our mangy mutt?"**

 **"Nothing since the investigation into one of my teams began. Unfortunately, it's had yet to reveal any results." Ozpin sighed and set his mug down. He looked up at the general. "What do you think of them?"**

 **"I have to concur with Glynda's assessment." Ironwood drawled.**

 **"Explain."**

 **"For one thing, the 'intelligence agent' has an attitude problem, especially towards authority figures. A rebel if I ever saw one. Keeping him in line will not be easy, even for you.**

Weiss nodded in total agreement.

 **Especially for you, since you're juggling this project, Summer's daughter and the Arc boy."**

Ruby looked confused. "What's Mom got to do with anything?"

Yang smirked. "Probably because she was such a badass."

"Probably." Ruby smiled in agreement

 **"Ye of little faith...What would you call me when I was younger? An obedient pup that jumped at the chance to please his masters?"**

 **Ironwood gave his fellow headmaster a dry look. "Oz, there's disrespect and then there's a younger you. You were a** _ **hellion**_ **."**

"New role model!" Ruby cheered while Yang smiled in agreement.

Weiss looked stunned, "I can't believe it."

 **"As is he." Ozpin smiled as he tapped his fingers and then gestured to the general. "Please, do continue to give your opinion."**

 **"Well, then there's the lad's partner...his psych profile is concerning, especially when it comes to the line between justice and vengeance. Mostly due to the event that occurred to him when he was younger," Ironwood said.**

"Yeah, we touched on that…not good times." Ren frowned.

"All cool guys have some kind of dark backstory." Jaune sighed dejectedly.

 **He sighed and idly used a pencil to stir his drink. "Then we come to the former student of The Demon."**

"Haku worked for the _what_?" Ruby blinked.

"Some person who was a nicknamed The Demon it seems." Blake said in surprise, how frightening.

 **"May I remind you that his case was closed?" Ozpin cut in before he took a sip of his coffee.**

 **"You may remind me all you want, Oz, I still agree with Glynda. There's a difference between allowing misguided youths leaving terrorist cells when they knew nothing else and allowing a mercenaries' apprentice to come to your school.**

Blake fidgeted slightly. At least she has something in common with Haku now.

 **Not only that, but to put him with** _ **their**_ **son...It's a dangerous gamble, Ozpin. You know how Fog Academy works..."**

 **"I do. And it is for that reason alone, I allow him to stay. He has grown spectacularly, his presence among his team is an anchor as much as that of the others. They are a fine chain."**

 **"Yes...attached to a king's flail." Ironwood looked down at the table and brought up an image. "That boy...is undoubtedly** _ **their**_ **son. He is unpredictable and very hard to deter from action, like his mother."**

"Oh yeah, they're talking about my boy now!" Yang perked up and eagerly listened to what they had to say.

 **"But has the drive and cunning mind of his father." Ozpin countered.**

 **"He's** _ **too**_ **emotional."**

 **"I prefer to see it as inspirational."**

 **"He caused an entire** _ **city**_ **to go on lockdown for** _ **five**_ **days, Oz. Over a bowl of** _ **noodles**_ **." Ironwood stared at the man across from him gravely.**

"It wasn't that bad I bet." Yang brushed off.

The others looked at her dryly.

 **"What would he do if his** _ **friends**_ **died? If someone he cared for was killed? If his family was taken captive?"**

 **"I would pray that those responsible were smart enough to not advertise it," Ozpin said wryly, a smile on his face. "And if not, then I would pray that no one would be stupid enough to stand in his path."**

"He is a human bulldozer." Weiss agreed.

Yang frowned. She wasn't sure if that was an insult or not.

 **"It's a big gamble, Oz. That's all I'm saying."**

 **"You're just mad that I have them."**

 **"...Just pour me some more tea, dammit."**

"He didn't disagree~" Yang sang happily.

"I would." Weiss huffed.

Blake smirked. "You're just jealous of his ninja-tude."

"That is _not_ a thing!"

Nora scoffed. "Yeah it is. Both Blake and Ren have it and so does Naruto."

Weiss scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

 **"I forfeit."**

 **Naruto looked up from the note he was writing in his scroll to scowl at the silver-haired teen he knew to be a criminal in disguise. It had been a few days since the incident with Torchwick and the mysterious member of the Fourth War. Blake and Sun had slipped off to a couple White Fang meetings since then, carefully disguised this time while Kurenai acted as a reluctant transport – Naruto gave his assigned teacher/overseer credit, Asuma had to have used some powerful persuasion– and never brought it up to the other teachers.**

 **However, Naruto was more concerned with the now than he was with the investigation. He cupped his hands around his mouth and jeered loudly as the match was called.**

 **"Don't be a bitch, Bitch!"**

"So juvenile." Weiss rolled her eyes. Jaune, Nora and Yang snickered while the rest smiled in amusement.

 **"Mr. Uzumaki!" Goodwitch's voice echoed through the arena that they stood in. Several others joined in after Naruto's cry, chief among them was Jaune. Jaune had trained with both Pyrrha, Guy and Team NHKS enough to know when someone was feeling out an opponent. It was one of the lessons Naruto helped teach, and one of the most painful Jaune had limped home from. Naruto didn't hold back as much as Pyrrha and Guy did. The lesson was learned, and Jaune didn't like to see his teammate put under that sort of radar.**

 **"Boo!"**

 **"What's wrong, Mercy? Afraid of the Invincible Girl?"**

 **"Lame!"**

 **"Grow a set!"**

 **"If you start something you should finish it, pretty boy!"**

"Man, they are _bagging_ on him." Yang whistled. "Yet I love it."

"It was rather annoying that he quit." Pyrrha huffed and pursed her lips.

 **"Enough!" Goodwitch called out with a crack of her crop.**

Jaune's back straightened. "I'll be good!"

"...Well, we learned something about Jaune today." Blake noted with a small smile.

 **Mercury hardly seemed phased by the insults, though he had a smirk plastered on his face. The guy all but embodied the word 'douchebag'.**

"Right there, written on his forehead." Nora giggled, she'd love to write it there.

 **"I swear, if he wasn't a lying scumbag, I'd think he was related to you, Uchiha." Kurama mumbled. Naruto snorted in agreement and went back to his scroll while Sasuke flipped the both of them off.**

 **"The worst part is that he's not even acting." Haku mumbled. He had been spying on Emerald, Cinder and Mercury for the past two nights with his semblance.**

Weiss flushed, "Power of the super peeper."

"Haku's a good guy, I doubt he'd do that." Blake waved off.

 **However, they all seemed to be aware someone was watching them. Naruto pulled him from the duty when he suggested one was another sensor or had a skill like it.**

 **"Haku, c'mon..." Sasuke groaned. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"**

 **"I am on your side, Sasuke." Haku smiled at the boy. "It's not my fault that you happen to behave like the douchebag down there."**

 **"...Naruto, what did you do? He was fine until you guys started to spar!"**

"It can't be helped," Jaune nodded. "Sasuke is sort of a douche."

And douche pretty boys were enemies to normal guys like the blond.

 **"Don't even try it, Sasuke. You broke him first."**

 **"Ladies, as entertaining as it is to hear you two bicker over your broken toy, can we go now?" Kurama asked with a smirk as the two gave him the bird. "Aw, look. You can count to two."**

 **"Shut up, Kurama." Naruto muttered as they rose and began to file out. Naruto quickly led his team towards Team RWBY. He grimaced as they rounded a corner and a familiar mint haired girl leaned against a pillar. His gaze went to Yang, who saw the girl and moved towards her. Naruto hastened his pace and quickly caught his blonde girlfriend by the arm, forcing her to walk with him past Emerald.**

"Dude!" Yang tossed her hands in the air. "So not cool!"

"You would have picked a fight." Ruby scolded.

"Yeah? So?"

Team RWBY rolled their eyes at the answer.

 **"Naruto..." Yang began with a scowl aimed at her boyfriend.**

 **"Yang. Not now. Not yet." Naruto hissed back while he felt Emerald's red eyes lock onto them. Naruto ignored the feeling and quickly slipped his arm around Yang's waist when she turned to glare back at the girl.**

 **"Oh, that's gotta sting." Mercury mused with a smirk as he walked up to his mint-haired companion. "Seeing the ex's new arm-warmer."**

"I'm a _bed_ warmer thank you." Yang grumbled under her breath.

 **"Says the Bitch." Emerald shot back with a dull glare aimed at her 'partner'.**

 **Mercury smirked. "Woof."**

 **"Get neutered."**

"I'd volunteer to do it!" Nora said eagerly.

"You know you aren't around sharp things." Ren warned her.

"It was just a pair of scissors! All those lawsuits mean nothing." Nora whined.

 **"And end up like that guy's balls? No, I'd rather I know where mine are than have them in some chick's purse."**

 **Emerald groaned and walked away. "You're an ass."**

 **"I knew you were staring!"**

"He is a total ass." Blake scowled.

"We've had like three words with him." Weiss tried to defend their sort-of-not-really friend.

"He carries himself like one." Yang pointed out.

"...True..."

 **"Shut up, Mercury!"**

 **"So...About the dance..." Yang began as they walked out of Beacon's arena behind their teams.**

 **"Yang, I already agreed to take you. I'll get a stupid monkey suit and everything." Naruto mumbled sourly. That was an argument he did not want to think about. His boys still hurt from how tightly Yang grabbed them. 'Grab him by the balls' was a figure of speech for a reason, dammit!**

Yang huffed and crossed her arms. "I like to have their full attention."

"I'm sure they give it to you."

"Not really, most look at my tits, Jaune."

Jaune coughed awkwardly. "Right."

 **"Good, good, but there's another problem." Yang's eyes looked over at Blake just as Sun pulled her aside. She beamed. "Or maybe not!"**

 **"...No, yeah, there's a problem." Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Blake had flatly and coldly denied Sun's awkward and excited attempt to ask her out. Sun's head hung and he slunk off back to his team while Blake walked back towards the dormitories. "Aw, man, poor Sun."**

 **"Blake would not turn him down if she was in her right state of mind. I thought letting her and Sun sneak off for the past few nights would do her some good after the whole Mech fight thing." Yang muttered sourly. She sighed and rested her head on Naruto's shoulder. "I thought boys were supposed to be the clueless ones."**

Yang gave Blake a look.

"What?" the Faunus flushed.

"You _know_ what."

 **"What's** _ **that**_ **supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a frown aimed at his girlfriend.**

 **Yang grinned at him. "Nothing, Whisker Boy. So, anyway, there was another thing I wanted to ask you. We're still kind of missing ...entertainment."**

 **"...We could go prank CRDL again."**

Jaune raised his hand. "I vote for this."

 **"I meant for the dance, Naruto."**

 **"...And your point is...?"**

 **Yang groaned and palmed her face. "Never mind, I'll just let Weiss take care of it."**

Weiss frowned. "Oh sure, dump it all on me. Thanks!"

"No prob, Ice Queen."

 **Naruto gave her a confused look. The dance was something that Team CFVY was originally supposed to organize. This changed when their away mission was extended for longer than they anticipated, Weiss and Yang scooped up the challenge...and that meant Naruto was supposed to help when it came to crunch time.**

 **Oh, the joys of hanging light fixtures entertained him to no end. However, the preparation of the dance was something Yang enjoyed to do, and aside from Weiss being Weiss every now and then,**

Weiss raised a challenging brow. "Weiss is Weiss, huh?"

"And Yang was Yang-ing," the blonde grinned.

"Weiss is saddened by this."

"And Ruby says this is getting confusing." Ruby confessed.

Blake nodded. "Blake agrees."

 **it wasn't really all that bad. So, playing the part of a dutiful boyfriend, Naruto decided to pry.**

 **"What do you need?" he asked.**

 **"It's nothing, Whisker Boy. Weiss can figure it out."**

 **Naruto gave Yang a dry look. "Yang, not only are you planning the 'Dance of the Year' with your friend, but you are going to meddle – rightfully so – in your partner's love life. If I can lighten your load in any way, let me."**

 **Yang smiled at him. "You're sweet, Naruto."**

 **"Don't let Ruby hear you say that. She'll try to eat me."**

"Ew! Ew! Ew!" Ruby turned green as Yang glared at her.

"Hey, I got first dibs, Ruby."

" _Ew_!"

 **"She can try. I got first dibs."**

 **Naruto grinned at her. "Is that a promise?"**

 **Yang shoved him lightly. "Maybe. Depends on if you can do this favor for me."**

 **"Name it and I promise to do whatever it is you desire," Naruto said with his grin still in place.**

 **Yang arched a brow and matched his grin. "Even if I ask you to strip naked and streak across campus?"**

"…Record! Record! Record!" Yang told Weiss, who was hogging the remote.

"Never, you perv!"

 **"Psh, as if I hadn't already done that before." Naruto scoffed. He smirked lightly as he thought back about that day. Oh, it was a Tuesday morning those third years will never forget. He got a** _ **lot**_ **of lady friends that day. Shame he had to give the numbers to Sasuke after he lost the bet of not getting caught. Then again, Naruto was with Yang now so... it balanced out, he supposed.**

"And I missed it!?" Yang looked outraged. "How did I-No way, he's gotta be lying!"

She would _not_ miss something like that.

Ever.

 **"Yeah, right." Yang rolled her eyes and gave him a look of disbelief. "I'd have heard about it and your punishment by now if you did."**

 **"I did. It was on the school site for about ten minutes before Goodwitch pulled it." Naruto pouted. "Then she made me walk around, dressed like a, ugh,** _ **butler**_ **." He grabbed his head. "I can still feel the horrible hair gel she used to comb my hair. The itch...the burn...the un-Naruto-ish hair!"**

 **"...Where was I when this all happened?!" Yang asked with a frown.**

"Seriously?!"

 **"I think in either Oobleck's or Peach's class." Naruto shrugged. "I was hiding for the rest of the day after that. Plus, no one recognized me with my hair so anti-me."**

 **"How does no one else know about this!?"**

"Again, seriously!?" Yang pouted. She _did_ miss it.

 **"My team knows, but they don't risk the retribution I will bestow upon them if they say anything. As for everyone else..." Naruto shrugged. "Goodwitch probably scared everyone into silence. I did run right through her classroom first."**

 **Yang gasped in horror and then pointed at him. "Wait a minute...Does this mean that Professor** _ **Goodwitch**_ **has seen your junk before** _ **I**_ **have?!"**

"…That is a crime!" Yang's eyes and face turned red.

"Goodwitch is hot, though." Nora glared at Ren.

"What?" The boy shrugged. "It was true and he was not going to deny it."

 **"Huh, I guess so." Naruto mused. He grinned and interlaced his hands behind his head. "I'm extremely proud of myself. I made the librarian blush."**

"Now I _have_ to see it." Yang said in a determined voice.

"Yang, ew."

 **"...That lucky old..." Yang frowned heavily and crossed her arms over her chest as she began to grumble to herself. She gave Naruto a dark glower as he chuckled at her. "Can't believe you didn't share that with me sooner."**

 **"Well, we're not exactly as promiscuous as we poise ourselves," Naruto said pointedly with a knowing grin that Yang gave a huff to.**

 **He and Yang may have done some heavy petting, but that was it. No clothes came off, at all during their alone time. There was a lot of temptation, especially when they flirted with each other like this, but they both had a silent agreement that they weren't ready. It had yet to be a full month since they started dating, after all. There was such a thing as too soon.**

"Amazing that you have enough restraint." Weiss commented to Yang.

Yang frowned. "I'm not loose, Weiss."

"I didn't say that, but you do strongly teeter the edge."

 **"I'm not going to lie and say that a photo wouldn't be nice." Yang muttered.**

 **Naruto arched a brow. "Go ask a third year for one. I bet they have photos."**

 **"They're all off preparing for the dance or on missions of their own!" She returned. Yang let out a frustrated whine and stomped her foot. "This is so not fair."**

 **"Well...I can make it up to you," Naruto said slyly. "Either I help you with the dance...or I streak again."**

 **"You wouldn't dare." Yang frowned at him. "You'd get banned from the dance and I'd have to find another date."**

"We're the blonde bombshell duo!" Yang pointed to herself and Naruto rapidly.

 **"There is a reason that 'grabbing by the balls' is a saying only." Naruto returned with a gravely serious look on his face. He was not going to let the injustice to his boys stand. He was not a spineless fool. This was a stand for all of mankind. And a test to see which was stronger: Yang's Inner Romantic or Yang's Lust.**

"A debatable topic." Ruby sniffed.

"Rubes, hurtfully."

"I tell the truth!"

 **"...But the literal sense is far more effective."**

 **"Offer's going once." Naruto held up a finger.**

 **"Oh, crap, you're serious!?"**

"For the men of the world!" Jaune cried out.

Ren pumped his fist in agreement.

 **"Going twice!"**

 **"Fine! God," Yang said with a sigh. "I'll wait until** _ **after**_ **the dance to see you naked."**

 _ **So she's a romantic. Good to know.**_

"I have a soft spot, shut up." Yang warned her friends.

 **Naruto grinned at his girlfriend and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "So, what can your streaking boyfriend do to help with the dance?"**

 **Yang gave him a small dirty look before she smirked lightly. "We need entertainment. Music, a DJ or band. Something."**

 **Naruto blinked. "Is that all? Piece of cake."**

 **Yang arched a brow. "What, do you know The Achieve Men or something."**

 **Naruto gave her a dry look. "...You're a fan of theirs, aren't you?"**

 **"...Maybe..."**

 **"...Of all the flaws you could have, one had to be your taste in music, didn't it?"**

"I have a great sense of music." Yang frowned.

"Boys without tee-shirts, yay." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't act like you don't ogle it just as much as I do!"

 **"It's not the music I'm a fan of."**

 **Now it was Naruto's turn to give Yang a dirty look.**

 **Yang gave him a challenging grin. "You walked into it."**

"He did. For shame." Yang smirked.

Pyrrha sighed, "I never did understand the whole boy band phase."

Yang grinned. "I can show you the way."

"Maybe."

 **"I know," Naruto said with a sigh. He rubbed his neck. "Well, can't fault you for that. I was into Brittany Shears for a while when I was younger."**

 **A dry look replaced the smirk on Yang's face. "Really?"**

 **"What? That vid for her song 'U R Master' was hot...still is, actually." Naruto grinned lightly as he stared off at nothing. "Very hot."**

Jaune let out a dreamy sigh and Ren gained a far off look in his eyes.

 **"I wouldn't know. Haven't seen it." Yang shrugged. Sure she'd heard the song before, but the music video wasn't something she wanted to see.**

 **"...I'll show you it later, but, until then, I can cover the music." Naruto mused with a grin. He slipped a hand into his jacket pocket and tapped his scroll while thoughts raced through his head.**

 **"As long as you don't wear a bear head, it'll be fine."**

"I hate that bloody bear." Yang frowned.

"You've always hated bears." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"They're so creepy!"

 **"Can do."**

 **"I'm sorry I thought I heard something stupider than normal come out of your mouth. Can you repeat that?" Sasuke asked, disbelief plain to see on his face.**

 **Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, man! Don't act like it won't be fun!"**

 **"You're right. It won't be fun. We'll have to put** _ **hours**_ **of work in our only free day just so that you can win brownie points with your girlfriend."**

"Hey, support the boyfriend troops." Yang frowned.

 **"Not just for her, but for** _ **all**_ **the girls, man! You do this right, and you can finally find that special someone to fill Sakura's space."**

"Exactly!"

"Not every guy needs a girl." Weiss said to Yang.

"Says you." Jaune frowned.

 **Naruto then looked at his other two teammates, who were still a bit off kilter from his first request. "Speaking of, has anyone seen her around yet?"**

 **"She's in a special medical school in Vacuo. Not a Hunters Academy," Kurama said. He rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Naruto, do you have any idea how hard it will be to actually pull this off?"**

 **Naruto tilted his head and thought about it for a moment before he looked back at Kurama. "Next to impossible."**

 **"And you still want to do this because...?"**

 **"I like to be in the spotlight." Naruto grinned.**

 **"And he wants to make his girlfriend wet herself in all the right ways."**

"That was a good one." Yang pursed her lips. And it wasn't wrong either.

 **"Thin ice, Sasuke. You're on thin ice."**

 **"I don't see why we can't at least try," Haku said. He smiled gently as both Kurama and Sasuke glowered at him.**

 **"...Haku, when did you go back to his side?!" Kurama demanded with a finger pointed at the beaming Naruto.**

"Because Haku wants all the girls." Ren mused with a tiny grin.

 **"That's two for my brilliant plan." Naruto grinned as he and Haku shared a high-five.**

 **"One, it's a stupid plan." Sasuke argued with a finger raised. "And two, there's the same amount of people opposed to it as there are for it, so we're in a stalemate."**

 **"That's because you're a nonbeliever."**

 **There was a faint knocking that got their attention. Curious, Haku went to the doorway and pulled the door open to find Jaune with an acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder. Jaune's eyes were closed and he began to strum, slightly off key.**

Jaune's face burned as he covered his face in shame.

Weiss merely raised a brow at this.

 **"Wei-i-oh. Darn it, why do I keep forgetting that you guys are 432 and RWBY is in 423?" Jaune muttered with his head hung. He started to walk away when Naruto rushed out and grabbed him by the arm. Before he could argue, Naruto pulled Jaune in and Haku shut the door with a smile on his face.**

 **"Ha! Three against two!" Naruto beamed at his two annoyed teammates.**

 **"Three against what?" Jaune asked.**

 **Kurama glowered at him. "Jaune...you like that guitar, right?"**

 **"Yes?"**

 **"Would you still like it if I broke it over your head?"**

The blond gulped. "I don't like it, sir!"

 **"Uh...no?"**

 **"Didn't think so. Come here." Kurama pointed at the wall on the side with him and Sasuke. Jaune quickly made his way over to their side and the Faunus smirked at the whiskered teen. "Three against two, Naruto."**

 **"Oh come on, that's scare tactics!"**

 **"You dragged him into it without telling him what or why."**

 **"Semantics!"**

 **"Uh, can I go now?" Jaune asked.**

 **"No." Sasuke glared at him and the leader of JNPR swallowed heavily.**

"I'm being held hostage! Call the guards!"

 **"O-Okay."**

 **"Jaune." Haku gained the room's attention as he smiled. "You know I wouldn't break a guitar over your head, right?"**

 **"Yes." Jaune nodded slowly.**

 **"Right. I would cram it up your anus and pull it along with your intestines out of your mouth. Then, I would proceed to feed you the stew that your innards and precious instrument would be made with."**

Jaune looked catatonic. Nora poked him and it was like flipping a switch.

"I need an adult, I need an adult!" He cried out.

"That was, uh... rather graphic." Blake cleared her throat.

"Who knew Haku had this side to him?" Ruby mumbled, her and her friends' eyes wide in shock.

 **This was all said with a small smile on the feminine boy's face. It was then that Jaune reminded himself that not only were the members of Team NHKS the most loyal of friends one could have, but also the most terrifying ones imaginable. Trails of tears poured down his face as all four members looked at him intently.**

 **"I just wanted to ask Weiss out to the prom..." he whimpered.**

 **The intent looks became replaced with dry ones.**

 **"Dude...Seriously?" Naruto asked. He threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Sneeze doesn't like you. I'm fairly certain she's made it clear like eight times."**

"Listen to the dolt." Weiss told Jaune.

"Well, I get that now." Jaune retorted with sass.

 **"At least." Kurama agreed.**

 **"Yeah, but, maybe if we go out-"**

 **"Jaune, trust me when I say you're a good guy," Sasuke said as he put a hand on the blond's shoulder. "You're a good leader, caring, and a great friend. No offense-"**

"Oh, tell me more." Jaune said dryly, waiting for the insults.

 **"And here comes the offense." Jaune mumbled.**

 **"But Weiss isn't waiting for the 'good guy friend' to come in and sweep her off her feet." Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "She's the heiress of a dust company and boys have been using corny lines, stupid get ups and practically every cliché in the book to ware her down."**

"This is absolutely true." The heiress nodded in agreement. "It gets so old."

 **"What's your point?" Jaune asked.**

 **"If you want Weiss to go out with you, ask her while being yourself." Haku suggested.**

 **Naruto nodded. "Don't try to be her hero, be the usual zero."**

 **"Ignore him, he's an idiot that's with another idiot."**

"I'm a _what_?!" Yang crackled, her eyes flashing red.

"He meant that in an endearing way!" Ruby tried to amend.

"I'll skin him alive!"

 **"Kurama, I** _ **will**_ **punt you."**

"Do it right in the nards!" Yang cheered her other's boyfriend on. She was not an idiot!

 **Kurama ignored the threat and kept his gaze on Jaune. "PJ, listen to me. Don't set yourself up to fall, because that hurts twice as much. Broaden your gaze, ask your team what they think you should do before you go and make a fool of yourself. Again."**

 **"...All I got out of that is you think I'm making a fool out of myself by asking Weiss out," Jaune said with a frown. "Like she's out of my league."**

 **"She's not out of your league, but she is out of your reach." Kurama pointed out. "Take a hint, Jaune. This is a fight you probably won't win, and if you do, someone else will be hurt in the process."**

"Kurama is both profound and wise for his age." Pyrrha smiled.

 **"...I thought you were an emotional virgin?"**

 **"Uchiha, shut up."**

 **Jaune ignored the two and thought about Kurama's words. The fox-tailed Faunus had never steered him wrong thus far, even if there were a few moments that Jaune wished Kurama had never witnessed. With sad eyes, Jaune took the guitar off and set it aside.**

 **"I just thought...I mean, my dad said that all girls love confidence." Jaune sighed.**

 **"They also like to be treated equally and not like a prize," Sasuke said. He shrugged. "A lot of guys ten times better looking than us use that same philosophy, Jaune, and it pays off for them because they're assholes and the women they date are most of the time mentally brain dead bombshells. Some people are more interested in appearance, money and power more than they are in a personality."**

"I think he has some prior experience with this." Ren confessed.

Blake snorted, "I wouldn't doubt it."

 **"Weiss isn't one of those people and I don't think you are either. If you do want to be with Weiss, hang out with her more, not on a date, but in a group. Be a friend, not a flirt," Naruto said with a nod. He grinned. "Granted, Yang and I are an exception to that, but that's just how we are."**

 **"Speaking of, you two seem closer..." Kurama noted with a scrutinizing gaze locked on his partner. "What did you two talk about on your night out together?"**

 **"Sex, drugs and rock n' roll." Naruto grinned.**

Yang flushed and waved her hand. "Oh Naruto, you dog."

"No. Do not play the shy lady card, ever." Weiss glared at Yang.

 **Jaune rubbed his head. "Well...I guess, maybe you've got a point. I'll still ask her to the dance...but, I mean...I don't see anyone asking me."**

 **"No one's asked Sasuke, Kurama or Haku, either." Naruto pointed out. He gestured to his partner. "I mean, look at Haku. You'd think guys and girls would be lining up outside the door to ask him out!"**

"This is true." Weiss agreed, Haku was a very attractive Trap.

 **"Naruto. Stop talking." Haku groaned into a hand.**

 **"What? You're pretty, dude. Don't deny it."**

 **"He's got the figure...would you like a dress, Haku?" Kurama teased. "I'm sure the girls will love it."**

 **"Kurama,** _ **I**_ **will punt you."**

"In the nards!" Nora cheered, beating Yang to the punch.

 **Jaune watched the interaction with a smile. Though he was still terrified of the four boys' and their threats, he was certain that they were the best friends one could ever ask for.**

 **Still...he should get feedback from Ren, just to be safe. Ren was more attuned to dealing with girls than anyone, having Nora for a friend. Not to mention, he was probably the only** _ **sane**_ **male friend Jaune had.**

Ren felt a bit smug.

 **Maybe even the** _ **only**_ **sane friend he had.**

Everyone gave Ren and Jaune a look.

Ren held up his hands, "I'm rationally minded, it's not my fault."

 **"Back to the subject at hand, Jaune's still on our side, so we're doing this thing!"**

 **"For the love of Oum - Naruto, no he's not!"**

 **"Yes, he is! Haku's threat was way better than anything you two chuckleheads could come up with, so we win!"**

 **Jaune's smile waned as they started to bicker over who scared him the most. He** _ **really**_ **needed to get out of there before they started to actively try to scare him.**

"I like my bladder functional, thank you very much," Jaune agreed with his other.

"Pansy." Nora scoffed, "I've said worse."

"That is also true!" the blond shivered. His team and friends were so scary sometimes!

* * *

 **Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XVI: Gold**

* * *

 **Naruto hummed to himself and tapped his pencil on a pad of paper from where he sat on stage while he oversaw Yang and Weiss prepare the hall for the dance. His notes in his Scroll were limited and paper copy always felt so much better. His foot tapped in the air and he nodded his head to a beat that only he could hear. Two fabrics of what seemed to be the same color were thrust between his face and his notepad.**

 **"Uzumaki, do something useful and pick a tablecloth." Weiss instructed.**

"Um, he's writing a ballad for his love of me. Get your boyfriend to pick it," Yang told Weiss, but gasped, "Oh right! You don't have one."

"Thin. Ice." Weiss warned.

"Weiss one."

"Ugh!"

 **Naruto looked up at her dryly. "I am doing something useful."**

 **"Useful for me."**

 **"Do you not see me writing?"**

 **"Right now." Weiss snapped with a twitch in her eye.**

"Okay, you cannot own my boyfriend, there are rules for this Weiss." Yang frowned.

"He's your boyfriend, and as far as I'm concerned, we _all_ own him since you have his jewels in your pocket and we are a team."

Ruby shuddered. "That's some weird logic."

"Kinda true though." Blake mumbled.

Yang frowned. "Maybe I'll consider it. You can't stare at his ass, though! That bitable tushie is _mine_."

"As if I'd want to." Weiss scoffed.

"Ew!" Ruby stuck her tongue out in disgust at the thought of biting Naruto's butt.

"Fine." Blake shrugged.

 **"Alright, this one." Naruto pulled at his orange jacket with a grin on his face.**

 **Weiss deadpanned and walked over to the leader of her team with a scowl on her face. "I'll just go ask Ruby."**

Ruby whined. "But I hate doilies."

"Respect the doilies, Ruby!"

 **"You'll all see the glory of orange one day!" Naruto argued with a huff as he looked back at his notepad.**

 **"Don't get your hopes up," Yang said as she walked by with a massive speaker in her arm. She set it down with a bang that caused the nearby seated Ruby to jump slightly, but the girl's depressed face didn't change until Weiss shoved the pieces of cloths in her face. Yang looked over at her boyfriend to see him bobbing his head again to a beat. Curious, she peered over the edge of his paper and pouted when Naruto pulled it from her view. "Hey, I'm the one that asked you to do something for the entertainment!"**

 **"No spoilers, Yang." Naruto returned with a grin as he continued to write in his book.**

 **"You did what?" Weiss asked with a frown.**

 **"Busted~!"**

Yang pouted. "Not cool, Naruto."

 **"Shut up, Whisker Boy." Yang hissed before she looked at Weiss sheepishly. "Uh...he volunteered to help?"**

 **"I said I'd do what needed to be done! She's the one who put me on entertainment."**

 **"Yang Xiao-Long..." Weiss glared at her. "The fog machines are one thing, but letting your troublemaking hooligan of a boyfriend take care of the entertainment for the party that** _ **we're**_ **in charge of?"**

"It's not that bad!"

"It's all kinds of bad!" Weiss argued against the blonde.

 **"Hey, you're getting your stupid doilies, aren't you?" Yang shot back.**

 **Naruto narrowed his eyes as he wrote in his notebook. "Hm. Doilies."**

Weiss gave Ruby a warning glare.

Ruby kept her lips shut, but smiled in agreement.

 **"You be quiet." Weiss glared at the lounging teen. She looked back at her buxom teammate with a frown. "We agreed that I would handle the entertainment."**

 **"And you were supposed to sort it out yesterday." Yang countered.**

"And Princess Boobs with the sick burn!" Nora crowed.

"Hm." Yang hummed at the name, looking at her rockin bust. It was true.

 **"I have it under control."**

 **"Well that's because I already took care of it for you."**

 **"Is this a bad time?" Neptune asked as he and Sun walked in the ballroom to see Yang and Weiss nose to nose with one another.**

"Kiss already!"

Yang and Weiss turned to glare at Nora.

"Wha? I'd ship Freezer Burn."

 **"No, you're just in time Nerd Boy. Grab a chair and watch the show."**

 **"Uzumaki, thin ice!" Weiss hissed before she spun around and smiled at the blue-haired boy. "Neptune! Glad to see you."**

 **"...Ouch, totally ignored by the Ice Queen." Sun mumbled with his arms crossed.**

 **"Get used to it." Naruto chimed from where he lounged on the stage.**

 **Neptune grinned back at the white haired girl. "You too, Snow Angel."**

 **"Gag me." "I think I'm going to puke."**

"I totally agree." Jaune rolled his eyes at the totally lame line.

 **"Thank you, Peanut Gallery," Neptune said to Sun and Naruto dryly before he looked at the incomplete team of girls. "So, are you girls ready to dress up?"**

 **"Please, I'll be drawing eyes from all over," Yang said modestly with a grin plastered on her face. She nudged her boyfriend's foot and got a grunt. "I've got the hottest accessory."**

"Best couple of the night." Yang smirked victoriously at her teammates. "Be jealous."

"You wish." Weiss scoffed.

"Whatever." Blake rolled her eyes.

 **"I doubt it'll be anything other than an orange monstrosity," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. She looked at the two Haven students. "So, what will you two be wearing?"**

 **"Uh, this?" Sun gestured to his current attire.**

 **Neptune cut in front of Sun and held a hand up. "Ignore him. He knows not of what he speaks."**

 **"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I was born in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt and tie kind of place."**

"And who'd want to hide all of that?" Blake whispered to herself.

 **"Thank you!" Naruto exclaimed with a raise of his pencil. He grunted when Yang smacked his foot again. "Oi! He's not wrong. Most of our standard academy dances took place under the stars. Heck, I don't remember my grad party...but that's probably because my godfather spiked the punch bowl and then dared me to chug the whole thing."**

 **"Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that," Sun said with a laugh. "Worst hangover ever, right?"**

 **"An understatement of the century." Naruto drawled as he went back to writing in his notebook. He sighed. "Shame too. No booze this time. The Librarian won't allow it."**

"For good reason, like we need a boozed up Yang or Ruby." Weiss smirked.

Though it was an amusing thought.

Ruby looked confused while Yang rolled her eyes.

"Unlike Ruby, I can hold my liquor."

"But I've never drank before!"

"Exactly."

 **"Well, maybe not during..." Yang trailed off.**

 **"Yang!" Ruby nudged her sister with an elbow.**

 **"What?" Yang arched a brow.**

 **"Before we get to the after party, is Blake still being...Blake-y?"**

"Blake-y?" the Faunus frowned.

 **Sun asked nervously as he rubbed his arm. "I mean...it won't really be a party without her."**

 **"That's what I've been saying!" Ruby threw her hands up. "Finally, someone gets it!"**

 **"That may be so, but not for the same reasons, Ruby." Naruto added, confusing the young team leader with his words. The whiskered blond rolled his legs up over his head and kipped up to his feet. He dropped down from the stage and flipped his book shut while he walked to the exit.**

 **"Where are you going?" Yang asked.**

 **"Getting too loud in here for me to think. See you guys later," Naruto said with a wave. He stuck a hand in his pocket and began to whistle a tune as he left.**

 **"He seems...happy," Neptune said with a furrowed brow.**

 **"He's excited. Yang has him in charge of the music," Ruby said.**

"It's gonna be da bomb, yo."

Ren slapped Jaune upside the head. "No, never."

"B-But thug life!"

"You are not a thug."

 **Weiss scowled. "I never agreed to that."**

 **"It's too late now," Yang said with a smirk. She pointed at Weiss. "You finish up what you need to do for the dance." Her finger then went to Sun. "And you don't need to worry about Blake." Lilac eyes drifted to confused silver. "You either. I'll take care of it."**

 **"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as Yang started to leave the ballroom.**

 **"I have a plan. Don't worry about it, Ruby. You just find a date for the dance or I'll find one for you."**

"You never did." Ruby noted.

"I know." Yang sighed, "It was find a weapon nerd on your level or dress up Crescent Rose."

"I wouldn't have minded the second one."

Yang just looked up, wondering where her family went wrong with Ruby. She blamed the time spent with her Uncle Qrow.

 **"I can't believe that you** _ **actually**_ **got asked out by that guy," Kurama said as he and Haku walked through the halls of Beacon. The Faunus was grinning madly while his feminine friend was red in the face. "I mean, it's one thing since he thought you were a girl, but if he believed you were a guy, I think it'd be even funnier since you're straight. Wait, you** _ **are**_ **straight, right?"**

 **"Yes." Haku muttered as his cheeks flamed.**

 **"Just wanted to double check. I don't judge. I doubt I even have a stance to judge from. I guess the most accurate phrase is I don't care. Hm, but that makes me sound insensitive. Granted, I'm a dick, but not that much of a dick."**

"Poor Haku, you'd think he'd try to make sure people know he's a dude." Ruby frowned.

"But Ruby, think of all the dress ups we could do." Weiss said with pink cheeks.

"You just like Traps." Blake accused, making Weiss sputter.

"I-I do not!"

"Neptune will be heartbroken."

 **"Please stop talking." Haku groaned. Why had Sasuke left him to this hell? Oh, right. He and Kurama were still pissed that Naruto had gotten his way after a long argument that only ended when they conceded defeat. Since Naruto had sought sanctuary with his girlfriend, that left Haku to punish. Sasuke was on the prowl to find a date for himself, which left Haku and Kurama to find some instruments.**

 **"What? I just think that all romance is beautiful. And yes, that includes Naruto's unholy grouping with his female equivalent. I know it sounds horrible to put it that way, but can you imagine the little monsters that would emerge from that coupling? Talk about terrifying.**

"They would destroy the world." Ruby agreed.

"Please, my kids would help the world." Yang snorted.

Lies. Ruby mouthed to her friends.

 **And we'd be the first to babysit! Sure, Ruby could, but...she eats sugar like its going out of style. That's not something I would promote."**

"Hey!" the leader of Team RWBY exclaimed, clearly scandalized.

 **"Ugh, someone kill me." Haku groaned and hung his head.**

 **"Kill you? Why would anyone want to kill you?"**

 **The two teens looked towards the owner of the voice and found one Coco Adel approaching from behind them. Her hand was firmly wrapped around another belonging to the nervous rabbit-eared Faunus that was Velvet Scarlatina.**

"I just want to hug her." Ruby gushed with little stars in her eyes.

"She's your senior, Ruby, show some respect." Blake sighed at Ruby's love for all things cute.

Even if that's pretty much what Velvet was.

 **"Coco? Velvet?" Haku looked between the two with confusion on his face. "I thought you two were delayed on your mission?"**

 **"Well, we would've been if Aoba hadn't been there.**

"Who?" Ruby squinted her eyes in thought.

"The other guy."

"Oh, the extra?" Ruby asked Jaune.

"Um, yeah."

 **Tell you the details later, but first, we came here for a reason," Coco said as she gave Velvet a look.**

 **Velvet shuffled nervously. "B-but Coco..."**

 **"Velvet, we talked about this." Coco grinned as she stepped back and pushed Velvet forward. "You got this, girl. Just do it!"**

 **Velvet stumbled forward and stood in front of her fellow Faunus. Her hands fidgeted and stuttered mumbles left her lips. Kurama arched a brow above his Pinely sunglasses when she looked back at Coco. Coco mouthed the word 'breathe' and gave her a thumbs-up. Velvet took a deep breath before she faced Kurama and her eyes squeezed shut.**

 **"K-Kurama w-will you g-go to the d-d-dance with m-me?"**

Yang gasped sharply and Ruby gushed.

"That's so cute!" the sisters exclaimed at the same time. Blake had an amused smile on her face and Weiss rolled her eyes.

"She could do so much better."

"You're just jellin' because she stole your foxy man."

"He is not my man!"

"Nope. Because Velvet just stole him."

 **Kurama's neutral look became one of surprise. After a minute of silence passed, his raised brows lowered and a light dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks. He scratched the back of his head and looked to the side. "Well, yeah, sure."**

 **"...Y-you will?" Velvet asked as she peeked through one eye at him. Haku blinked and slowly smiled at his teammate while Coco flat out beamed.**

 **"I mean, why not? It's a dance, it's natural that someone would've asked, and I guess going with a friend wouldn't be so bad..." Kurama mumbled lowly.**

 **"A** _ **cute**_ **friend."**

"She is!" Ruby squealed inn agreement.

 **"Watch it, Adel." Kurama warned with a pointed look at the girl while Velvet flushed bright red.**

 **Coco grinned and slung an arm around her teammate. "I'm watching, foxy, and Coco is pleased. Good going, Velvet, snagged your wild man before someone else would've tried to. Now all we have to do is find Yatsuhashi a date and get Fox to do something with his hair." Coco pointed upward dramatically. "But first, I must ensure my adorable little cupcake is dressed to kill for her date!"**

"Cupcake, where?!" Ruby asked looking around rapidly.

Weiss stuffed a cookie in her mouth to silence the girl.

 **"C-Coco!" Velvet flushed brightly as she was dragged away.**

 **Haku sent a smirk to Kurama, who looked at him out of the corner of his eye.**

 **"Not one goddamn word, Yuki. Not a goddamn word."**

 **"I didn't say anything."**

 **"Screw you, Yuki! Go ask the Uchiha out, why don't you?"**

 **"Only if we can double date with you and Velvet."**

"That'd be hot." Yang smiled while Ruby looked at her in confusion.

"Why?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

 **Haku laughed as Kurama let out a frustrated snarl and stormed off. A few passing students from Mistral and Atlas clung to the wall or started to fall over, weakened by Kurama's Semblance getting the best of him. Haku chuckled and hurried after the fox Faunus.**

 **"Wait, Kurama, we need to color coordinate our suits! You should wear something red for your Velvet cake!"**

 **"Fuck you, Haku! Fuck you!"**

 **"Careful, Kurama, Velvet could get wind of this."**

 **A soft chuckle left Haku's lips as Kurama trembled with anger. It would seem the tables had turned, and the Faunus was not used to such a thing. It was almost mean in a way, but Haku felt that it was justified considering he had been asked out by a fellow guy, who was as embarrassed as Haku was when Haku clarified he was a male as well.**

 **Ah, sweet retribution.**

"Vindictive bastard, isn't he?" Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Oh yeah." Ren agreed.

 **A buzz from his right pocket made Haku pull his Scroll out and read the message within. His eyebrow rose slightly in confusion and he looked up as Kurama walked back towards him. The Faunus had a scowl on his face and his Scroll was tightly gripped in his hand.**

 **"Come on, let's go help the idiot with his 'plan'." Kurama took a step past Haku before he whirled around and glared at the teen. "Say one word to either of them about what happened...and the whole school will be convinced that you are a prostitute before the day ends."**

"…Now that's a scary power." Pyrrha shuddered.

"Information can be a deadly knife." Yang nodded in agreement.

 **"Alright, alright, I will let you tell them about your date."**

 **"I'm serious."**

 **"I know, Kurama." Haku chuckled lightly as he walked with the Faunus towards the location the mass message had told them to go to. Haku would admit, he was curious as to what Naruto wanted all of them at the library for.**

 **Blake was tiredly scrolling through the screen of information set before her while she sat in the library, with a few other students from the other schools mingling with her fellow classmates. As her amber eyes danced from left to right, there was a quick motion she caught sight of in the corner of her eyes. A red dot slowly crawled onto the screen from the side of the computer. Blake blinked in bewilderment as the dot slowly began to bounce on her screen.**

Blake gave Yang a dirty look.

The blonde bombshell whistled innocently.

 **Too focused on the screen and far too sleep deprived to take any real action, Blake was ignorant to the patterned, almost hypnotic beat that started to play as many Beacon students started to open and close their books in sync with the dot's bounce. Her ear twitched when a tinkling bell was rung and she looked away from the dot. A glance showed that nothing had changed around her and she looked back at the screen to find the dot had vanished. The synchronized beat of books opening started again, accompanied by books roughly placed on the shelf in rhythm.**

"See, this is why you need to sleep, Blake." Weiss frowned at the Faunus, "You're hallucinating."

"About music!" Ruby scolded further.

 **Blake paid this no mind, far too engrossed in her search, and focused on the screen before her. The dot appeared again mid bounce and Blake followed it with her eyes. She ignored the bell as it was tinkled time and again, her narrowing gaze locked on the dot in front of her.**

 **Blake looked away again when a tune was whistled in time with the bell and the books. The sounds stopped immediately after her gaze left the dot. Blake's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she wondered what the hell was going on. Deciding to ignore it and focus on her quest, Blake looked back to her computer and opened a new page.**

 **The dot returned, accompanied by the sounds, no, music once more. Blake's computer screen went dark, the windows were covered, and the lights went out while the sounds played. Nothing but darkness filled the library and everyone save for Blake was nearly blind, but the Beacon students continued with their actions. While the students not from Beacon started to use their scrolls to see what was going on around them, a washboard and guitar accompanied the books, whistle and bells.**

"What are you on?" Yang asked her partner, "Seriously, what stuff have you been taking to stay awake?"

"Nothing!" Blake refuted.

 **The dot on Blake's screen returned and started to bounce in time with the books once again. Blake kept her eyes on the dot and ignored the shifting shadows around her as the public access came alive. There was a moment for the throat to clear before a voice passed through. On Blake's screen, the dot was replaced by golden words that bounced in time with the beat.**

 **"** _ **First comes the blessing of all that you dream, then comes the curses of diamonds and rings. Only at first did it have its appeal, but now you can't tell the false from the real.**_ **"**

 **Blake narrowed her eyes as the last text faded away. Was it her, or did that sound like Sasuke?**

"I thought you had a thing for Sun?" Weiss asked with a raised brow.

"I do-n't." Blake saved herself while Yang smirked at her. "Not for Sasuke either."

 **"Who can you tru-u-ust..." A redheaded male student from another school sung out from a few tables away. Blake whirled around to look at him and her gaze went wide in slight shock and horror when she saw all of the students had donned the white masks of Grimm, similar to the White Fang.**

 **An orange haired girl wearing pink gloves that was opening and closing her book not too far away looked up at Blake. The white Grimm mask didn't hide the wide smile she had on her face. "Who can you tru-ust..."**

"Yeah! High School Musical!" Nora cheered.

"What madness is this?" Blake asked in silent horror.

 **Blake looked up to see a familiar whiskered teen seated atop a bookshelf, his own White Fang mask in place while he crossed his arms over his chest. Before Blake could speak, Naruto dropped down from the bookshelf and landed on the other side of her table. A few computer screens and select lights turned on, but gave off golden hues in the dim lighting.**

 **"When everything, everything, everything you touch turns to gold, gold, gold?" Naruto asked as his Semblance lightly came to life and his body shone the very color he mentioned. He circled around the table and reached out to her, causing Blake to back away from his hand in slight fear. She wasn't even sure if this was a dream or not. "Everything, everything, everything you touch turns to...gold...gold!"**

Jaune summed up his thoughts, "…Okay, I'm confused."

"This didn't really happen before." Yang confessed.

"I'd remember." Blake dryly commented.

"Yay! Big Lipped Alligator moment!" Nora cheered.

 **A haunting harmonious vocal came from his lips as he touched her table and it seemed to solidify into gold. Blake scrambled away and ran down between the bookshelves, passing a couple of Beacon students that wore White Fang masks and made grabs at her. Closer looks would've shown that one was a girl with long red hair, and the other was a boy with a pink strand in his black hair.**

Blake glared at Ren and Pyrrha. The calm boy shrugged and Pyrrha looked sheepish.

"Naruto probably smoothed talked us into it." Ren answered.

"I've always loved acting." Pyrrha flushed and twiddled her thumbs.

 **"Whoa... Ooo ...Gold! Whoa..." The library's occupants' voices sang out as they joined in with Naruto's frightening harmony. "Ooo ...Gold! Whoa... Ooo ...Gold!"**

 **The golden lights, including Naruto's Semblance, disappeared and Blake clung to the far wall. She looked around with wide eyes and a pounding heart as she took in the swaying forms of the other students. A surprised yell was let out, but quickly silenced and Blake tried to determine whether this was real, a dream or a nightmare. Maybe she'd fallen asleep at the computer?**

"Lack of sleep~"

"Oh shut up Weiss!"

 **Sasuke's voice came through the public access speaker again as the first beat returned and the harmony dwindled to nothing. "** _ **Statues and empires are all at your hands, water to wine and the finest of sands. When all that you have's turning stale and it's cold, oh you'll no longer fear when your heart's turned to gold.**_ **"**

 **Nightmare. It had to be a nightmare, Blake decided. Her restless investigation had gotten to her. She fell asleep reading about a Dust robbery and her subconscious was messing with her. That makes sense, it had to be a nightmare. Even Team NHKS weren't this quick to formulate a plan. So to wake up, she'd have to leave the library and go to her room. Then she could get back to work and stop the White Fang and Torchwick.**

 **"Who can you tru-u-ust..." A teen Blake brushed past in an effort to reach the door to the library sang lowly as he reached out to her with his offered hand. His golden tail swished briefly against her leg, but she paid it no mind.**

 **"Who can you tru-ust..." Began another that popped around a corner, his mask inches from Blake's face when she stopped. Had she looked closer before she ran down the nearby aisle, she would've noticed he had short cropped blue hair.**

 **Around her, the melody started up through the voices of the other students and the lights returned to the eerie gold setting they were in. Blake kept her eyes open and her ears twitched as she watched out for Team NHKS' leader.**

"Must strike down the source of this nightmare." Blake mumbled.

Yang frowned, "Hey, no striking down my candy."

"...You have candy? Yang, you promised to share-!"

"Naruto."

"...He's not candy!" Ruby protested.

"Psh, not to you."

 **A mirror appeared in front of her just before she neared the end of the book aisle. A teen dressed like Haku usually did outside of class stepped out of the mirror. The one difference he and Haku had was the white mask on his face. It was round and had black slits for eyes, while two red and slightly yellow waves came from the left of his face and curved below the eyes.**

"Wow," Nora whistled, "So this is what tripping on acid looks like."

 **Naruto's voice came from above Blake as the not-Haku drew Snowfall and cracked the whip. The mirror disappeared behind the masked-teen while Blake shakily backed away.**

 **"When everything, everything, everything you trust turns to gold, gold, gold!" Not-Haku advanced as the rest of the library's occupants joined in Naruto's chorus.**

 **"When everything, everything, everything you trust turns to gold...Gold! Ooo..."**

 **Blake turned and ran through the aisle. She pushed her way past the blue-haired teen and made a break for the door. The creepy chorus echoed around her as a blond haired boy with an armored black jacket, a Jaune look-alike with a Grimm mask made a grab for her. The door, when she reached it, was locked. Blake turned around and her bagged eyes went wide as Team JNPR along with Sun and his team stood opposite of her, the way that the lights flickered and the Grimm masks made them seem much more intimidating.**

 **The public access speaker came to life again, but the source seemed closer. A glance to her immediate left, where the librarian – not Goodwitch, but a nice old woman named Melinda Reed – usually stood behind her counter. In Ms. Reed's place was a teen dressed in Sasuke's normal battle attire, but with a ringed helmet that had three comma like holes on it.**

"So, does that symbolize something, or just a very poor function of a mask?" Ren question, rubbing his chin in thought.

Nora tilted her head, "I think it's sort of tacky looking."

 **"** _ **I'm dying to feel again! Oh, anything at all! But I feel nothing...Nothing...**_ **Nothing!" Sasuke's grip on the public access speaker slackened and he, along with Teams JNPR and SSSN, disappeared as the lights went out.**

 **Blake tried to quell her beating heart and looked around nervously as the whistling, bells and books continued. The dimmed golden lights exploded on the opposite side of the room as the chorus continued. In front of her was the silhouette of another Faunus she knew, for a moment he looked like an old partner, but when she focused, she could make out Kurama's features easily. Especially the white mask that concealed his eyes. His hand shot out and grabbed her head as the word 'gold' echoed around her.**

 **"No!" Blake jolted awake in her seat in front of the computer. A few students nearby shushed her and Blake grimaced in embarrassment.**

Blake gave all of her friends' dirty looks.

"Shouldn't have eaten that late night tuna."

Blake gave Yang an especially dirty look.

 **She looked around, her heart rate calmed as she took in the unfamiliar faces plain to see, absent of the Grimm masks that haunted her. A glance at a nearby clock showed that hours had passed since Blake last checked, far too many for her to simply be engrossed in work, but enough to support her theory that what she just experienced was a dream. A nightmare.**

 **What that meant, however, was something Blake wasn't sure of.**

 **Blake looked back at her computer and recognized the data on the screen as the same data she was looking at before she had fallen asleep. She looked around for any sign of a red dot, but it seemed to be g-there. Blake's eyes narrowed on the dot and she bristled as it danced cheerfully on the screen. The seemingly happy dot traveled down to her hand and Blake glared at it.**

 **Not only was the damn thing in her nightmare, but now it was distracting her. Blake furrowed her brow and looked around for the source of the dot. When she glanced back, the dot had flickered away before it reappeared on her hand. She followed the dot with her eyes as it traveled down to the spot beside her table.**

"Follow the light Blake, follow it to your destiny~"

"Yang, shut up, please."

She hated those blasted little things ever since Yang used it on her.

 **The dot rushed off towards the library doors and then rushed back. It circled around her foot and table leg. Annoyed with the distraction, Blake stood and decided to find the source of the dot and stop them. Even if that meant kicking someone where it hurt.**

 **The dot danced gleefully in front of Blake's feet, forcing her to keep her eyes on it as she walked away from her desk, lest she lose track of the dot. This was insulting, it made her look like a cat chasing a laser pointer. Granted, the irony was a bit humorous and this would be an interesting story to tell her team later**

"I certainly laughed."

Blake glared at the smiling Weiss.

– **if they weren't already the cause for it – but first came the beating, then the investigation and then the story. In that order.**

"That sounds painful." Ruby stated.

Blake nodded, "Oh, it would be."

 **The dot led her all the way to the library's exit before it vanished entirely. Irked, Blake looked up and glared at the source of her annoyance. Her teammate and partner, Yang.**

 **Really, why wasn't she surprised?**

"Because it's Yang." Everyone, sides Yang, said.

Yang frowned, "Am I that predictable?"

 **Yang bought the damn thing after Blake revealed her true species to them. She was miffed it didn't cause Blake to spaz out like a cat, but apparently the fact it annoyed Blake must have made it worth its money. Blake decided that she'd destroy the laser pointer after she'd chewed Yang out. Before she could even begin to do just that, Yang grabbed her arm.**

 **"Glad you could make it. Come on, we need to talk somewhere a bit more private."**

 **Blake was then dragged away from the library with a scowl on her face.**

 **That dream wasn't a nightmare, it was a premonition. Red dots and gold? They had to mean watch out for Yang.**

"I am wounded and offended by this."

 **Naruto played with a paddleball while he stood outside of the lecture hall Yang had acquisitioned to have the heart-to-heart with Blake. Naruto had the paddleball only to keep himself busy so he didn't eavesdrop entirely. He may have eavesdropped only a little bit, but he learned something very interesting in the process.**

 **It wasn't about the attack on Yang and Ruby when they were younger. He already knew about Yang's search for her mother, it was bound to come up when Naruto asked how and why Yang knew Junior in the first place.**

"Well, at least he doesn't have to worry about judgmental mothers." Yang said with a pained smile.

"Just Dad."

"Oh yeah," Yang grimaced. That was going to be a headache.

 **She was surprisingly open, possibly due to Naruto's trust in her when he told her what Team NHKS was trusted with. It only showed how close they'd become in such a short amount of time that she'd told him her greatest failure as an older sister. There was a tidbit that Yang had left out.**

 **Yang had only told Naruto that they were saved, and Naruto had assumed it was their father who came to the rescue. The name she mentioned to Blake as she told the story was far more interesting.**

 **Qrow.**

"That's our uncle!" Ruby beamed along with Yang.

 **The name was infamous in Vacuo, more-so for the horrible tales about him in his time during a small confliction between Vale and Vacuo.**

 **The Scare Qrow, the children called him.**

"Wha?" Ruby asked. She snorted and waved her hand. "Oh come on, he isn't scary at all."

Blake disagreed inwardly, she knew the name after all and how infamous the man was.

Yang just shrugged, with a look that said; that's so Qrow.

 **He would come to Vacuo and snatch children's fingers if they ever disobeyed their parents. The story was rooted to a battle where another famous figure in Vacuo had snuck behind enemy lines. That figure was none other than Naruto's godfather, The Toad Sage. Naruto learned the truth when he was on his trip with the older man and they'd overheard a mother warn a boy after he acted out in public.**

 **"** _ **The Scare Qrow? Sliced off my finger?**_ **" The Toad Sage had guffawed at the thought. "** _ **Do you see my hands, Brat? Are they missing any fingers? Qrow didn't cut my finger, Naruto, he cut my**_ **fingernails** _ **. Broke through my Semblance to do so with that weed whacker of his.**_

Ruby gasped in horror, "It's not a weed whacker you big meanie!"

 _ **It was impressive, but now the word of mouth must've made him into a monster. Poor guy. That young crow would never hurt anyone too seriously. He fought to disable people, but kill Grimm. That is the difference between a Huntsman and a Soldier, Brat. One protects their country, the other protects the world.**_ **"**

 **"...I'll save a dance for you if you show me the same courtesy." Yang's offer broke Naruto from his trip down memory lane. Yang smiled at her boyfriend as she shut the door to the lecture hall behind her. "I think that went well."**

"Just making me live a nightmare, yeah." Blake said dryly.

"Out of love, Blake, out of love."

"Your love can shove it."

 **"Probably." Naruto agreed and slipped his paddleball into his back pocket. The two walked side by side, close enough to touch each other if they so choose as they started to walk down the hall towards the teachers' housing. They had to report back to Kurenai and Asuma still.**

 **"And you were so sure that your library plan was needed." Yang snorted with a smirk. "Told you I could handle it."**

"It was over the top and unnecessarily flashy." Weiss critiqued, "Very Uzumaki, sadly."

 **Naruto shook his head. "I never believed you couldn't."**

 **"Then why did you go through with that stupid plan?" Yang asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.**

 **"First of all, don't act like you didn't like it." Naruto gave his girlfriend a smirk and she rolled her eyes.**

 **"Okay, fine, it wasn't** _ **bad**_ **.**

"I protest." Blake frowned.

 **I wouldn't open with it, though. It's kind of heavy."**

 **"Which is exactly the point of it," Naruto said. He slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled lightly. "The sounds distracted Blake enough for her to not recognize the faint smell of Asuma's cigarette alongside the aroma we filled the library with."**

 **"Still not cool with the whole 'drugging my teammate' thing," Yang said blandly as she gave Naruto a pointed look.**

Blake glared at Yang.

"What? I said I wasn't cool with it!"

"You still did it!"

"Oh, it's not like the time I got you drunk."

"That was bad too, Yang!" Blake argued.

 **Naruto shrugged. "The human mind is the strongest muscle, Yang. People underestimate it all the time, especially when it looks like you don't use it."**

 **"Uh-huh."**

 **"There was a slight possibility that, when one considered how Blake acted, she might not have been as susceptible to your understanding of her obsession," Naruto said. He arched a brow when Yang punched his arm. "Ow. What was that for?"**

 **"Doubting me."**

Yang crossed her arms, "You never doubt my powers of persuasion."

"They are a force to be reckoned with." Ruby begrudgingly agreed.

 **"I didn't doubt you, I doubted Blake." After these words left his mouth, he received another, much harder punch. Strong enough to bruise Naruto while his semblance was passive, which meant it was hard. "Ow!"**

 **"That's for doubting my teammate." Yang huffed.**

Blake looked pleased by this.

 **"She wasn't** _ **acting**_ **like your teammate, Yang," Naruto said with a grimace as he rubbed his arm. "Blake was sleep deprived and running on fumes. As a Faunus, her body has different requirements from you or I, and a healthy amount of sleep is one of them. Humans need somewhere between seven and nine hours for sleep, but a Faunus' sleep cycle can range from between eight to ten hours or more. It really depends on the animal traits they have."**

"Well, Blake can be lazy at times." Weiss quirked her lip.

"I sleep in on Saturday mornings, forgive me." Blake pouted, she liked her naps.

 **"And how are you so knowledgeable about this?" Yang asked with a raised brow. They rounded a corner and went through the building's exit while Naruto answered her.**

 **"I've lived with a Faunus for nearly all my life. Kurama needs no less than five hours of sleep to function well, but that's after years of practice in Kon. Through him, I've learned a lot about Faunus physiology. Things like shedding, marking territory, and even heat cycles that are rumored to occur with Faunus are not uncommon with us. Humans shed dead skin and hair cells every day and we 'mark our territory' similar to primates do. Heat cycles aren't present, but that doesn't mean we don't have a prime time in our life for reproduction."**

 **"Way to turn our conversation into a sex talk, Naruto." Yang smirked.**

"It seems to be the main topic between you two." Weiss pointed out.

"We talk about it, not do it, Ice Queen."

 **"Shut up, I wasn't done." Naruto returned childishly with a very mature raspberry aimed at her that made her laugh. "Anyway, the theory of the matter is that if our bodies aren't so different than a Faunus', which it isn't since the two species** _ **can**_ **procreate, then why should our brains be any different? Sure, there's stuff like how much further Faunus could see, smell, hear and etcetera, but I'm talking psychologically. With enough sleep deprivation, Humans can start to lose their grip on reality. Their minds are overworked and the–"**

 **"Body will shut down so that the system can recover, yes, I took those same classes in my Basic Academy, Naruto," Yang said with her arms crossed once again. "What's your point? That the 'dream' you cocked up was really clever? Ooo, you put Blake in a music video, how original."**

"What a nightmare." Blake waved her hands in mock fright, even if it was sorta messed up.

 **"A psychological scare!" Naruto corrected firmly as they walked across campus. "Like I said, the sounds were to distract Blake's conscious brain from recognizing the odor in the air. I really have to thank Kurenai for help on the lights and the timing, though."**

 **"Lights and timing?" Yang asked with a raised brow.**

 **"Yeah, well, this was a spur of the moment thing, so we couldn't just practice it," Naruto said with a shrug. "Kurenai's Semblance allows her to influence the minds of others, like an illusion, to trick you into thinking something you're seeing and or doing is real. She has it nearly mastered to the point where she can use her Semblance on nearly a hundred people at once."**

"That some seriously scary power there." Jaune paled.

 **"...That's some real evil mastermind stuff there." Yang mused with a small shiver. She was glad that Kurenai wasn't a villain. That would be scary.**

"Thankfully she's a good guy." Ruby sighed in relief, "Still, you gotta wonder what else she can do with it."

"Make you do your homework?" Weiss pointed out.

Ruby gaped at her, "I do it plenty enough!"

"At the last minute you mean."

Ruby turned red in the face with embarrassment.

 **Though, now she was slightly curious about what else Kurenai could do. And what she did when she was alone with Asuma.**

 **Naruto, unaware of Yang's growing imagination, nodded in agreement. "Yep, we should be lucky that she's a Huntress and not a madman, er, madwoman out to conquer the world in one giant illusion in order to feed everyone to a plant."**

 **Yang gave her boyfriend a dry stare. "That's the dumbest evil plan I've ever heard of. And I've heard Ruby's 'evil' plans to take over the world with endless cookies."**

"I will herald the dawn of a new age, an age of sugar!" Ruby proclaimed with a mad glint in her eyes as she shot to her feet.

Yang grabbed the back of her collar with a bored look, dragging Ruby back into her seat, "Yeah, yeah."

She'd heard them over a thousand times by now.

 **"It came to me in a dream." Naruto grinned when Yang snickered.**

 **"I see what you did there. Clever."**

 **"Thank you."**

 **"I still think I had it handled. She was my teammate and I only had to give her a few pushes," Yang said firmly.**

 **"...Yang, sometimes a simple talk isn't enough..." Naruto mumbled sadly. He looked up at the fractured moon above them as they stopped in the middle of the campus. "I've had my fair share of heart-to-heart moments with some friends, and some usually involved fists.**

"I don't believe that's a heart-to-heart." Pyrrha furrowed her brow.

 **Actually, I think all of them involved fists. Hm, not heart-to-hearts then, but I digress. Sometimes, sympathizing and understanding just...it's just not enough."**

 **"What do you mean?" Yang asked curiously as she followed Naruto's gaze to stare at the moon.**

 **"Nothing, never mind. It's just something I've not really gotten over." Naruto sighed and looked at the ground. He started to walk away again. "Let's go, I'm sure Kurenai and Asuma want to know if the plan worked."**

 **"Does it have something to do with the Fourth War?" Yang asked carefully and frowned when Naruto stopped mid step. The Fourth War was a sour point for all members of Team NHKS. It was a surefire way to make the four boys stop any conversation.**

 **Sasuke hated them and would turn into a Broody Bill after the terrorist cell was brought up.**

 **Kurama outright loathed them and would begin to rant about how he would end them and anyone like them with violent and graphic detail.**

"That's lovely." Ren dryly said.

"Ooh, I wonder what he says." Nora commented with an odd fascinated look on her face.

 **Haku had shown himself to dislike the mentioning of it and would force the one that brought them up to change the subject with his intense and disturbing stare.**

"It looks right into your soul." Jaune said in a faint whisper.

 **However, Naruto never gave a specific emotion. He always just sort of...shut down, or rather, rebooted after a minute or two. Then he'd ignore their acknowledgement or just say that he'd put a stop to them, and that would be it. While Yang wasn't sure what Sasuke or Haku's deal with the Fourth War was – Kurama's was simple enough, since he was a Faunus and the group was very much as Anti-Faunus one could get – she was sure that Naruto had lost too much to them to put any more effort into hating. He'd always fiddled with his parents' wedding bands whenever he was distressed, either over something mundane like a test or worrisome like the Fourth War.**

"…I think that maybe something happened to his mom and dad with Forth War." Ruby frowned.

This time Yang frowned. "Seems so."

 **It was worrying for Yang to see his hand lift up and grab the items after she'd asked him such a question.**

 **"Yeah..." Naruto finally answered. He looked at Yang with a sad smile. "They were part of it."**

 **"You don't have to tell me," Yang said as she joined his side and carefully guided his hand away from the rings.**

 **"I know. But I want to." Naruto sighed. He looked back up at the moon as Yang's hand intertwined with his. Naruto stared up at the moon while Yang kept her eyes on him as he spoke. "His name was Gaara of Vacuo...and he was the first person that I killed."**

"And that took a turn from weird to bad." Yang blinked and then grimaced, "I'm not going to like this I think."

"Well, it couldn't all be fun and games, Yang." Weiss commented.

"I know, but I can wish, right?"

Blake gave her a sad look, "That's something we all wish for."

* * *

 **Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XVII: Purpose**

* * *

 **"K-Killed?" Yang asked. Naruto looked down from the moon to meet her wide-eyed gaze, his blue eyes filled with regret and sadness.**

 **"Not everyone can be saved." Naruto repeated as he looked back at the moon. "Not everyone wants to be helped. You have to understand, Yang. I didn't go out of my way to kill him! He had to be stopped, but words ...they just couldn't cut it."**

Ruby's lower lip quivered. "I want to lighten the mood, but I don't have it in me."

"You can't lighten this up, Rubes." Yang told her sister gently. Some things just have to be left as they are and right now, this was one of those moments. Ruby wanted to protest, but she stayed silent as the episode continued.

 **With his eyes squeezed shut, Naruto broke his hand away from Yang's, which was still stuck on his first statement – the admission of killing another. It was understandable, not many knew of Naruto's greatest shame outside of those high in the food chain. He went to a nearby bench to sit down and recompose himself. His gaze went back to the moon, so peaceful, but broken. How it broke and why were questions science had yet to answer, mysteries that may forever remain unsolved. It was soothing and reminded Naruto of life in general: Sometimes you're fine, sometimes there's pain that'll go away, and sometimes there's constant pain.**

 **The bench creaked lightly as Yang sat down next to him. "What was he like?"**

 **"Gaara?" Naruto let out a bitter laugh. "He was** ** _crazy_** **. Something wasn't right in his head. He** ** _needed_** **help, but refused it at every turn. Every chance he had to heal, he spat on. Poor guy was deluded by a belief he developed while he was 'raised' by the Fourth War."**

"And it suddenly makes sense." Blake said darkly.

"Hm?" Ruby tilted her head.

"I'm sure Naruto will explain."

 **"They** ** _raised_** **him?" Yang asked incredulously.**

 **Naruto looked at her. "Raised is being generous...They corrupted him, pushed him far beyond the limit, tried to hone his Semblance into a weapon to use against Faunus and Faunus-lovers. In the process, he stopped thinking of himself as Human...and called himself a monster."**

"And I thought that whole Grimm mask thing was twisted." Yang said to Blake.

"No, even we didn't go that far." Blake said heatedly. "We already had people wanting blood. They twisted someone and broke their will, it's so wrong. And they call us monsters? What a joke."

Weiss nodded. "I can't help but agree with you on that front."

 **"That's horrible." Yang clenched her hands into fists. "They twisted a kid so far that he broke...What the hell is wrong with them?"**

 **"Hate." Naruto mumbled softly as he held his parents rings up and looked at the diamond on his mother's ring. "They hate Faunus for being different, Hunters for being arrogant, Humans for being complacent...The Fourth War is comprised of people who are poisoned by hate. Unfortunately, Gaara fell victim to this poison."**

 **"So he hated everyone?" Yang asked lowly. "I don't see that as the reason you had to kill him."**

Yang winced. "Not the best choice of words, other me."

 **"I didn't** ** _have_** **to kill him! I didn't even** ** _want_** **to kill him!" Naruto shot back firmly as his eyes glared into hers. The glare dropped when he noticed Yang's eyes weren't filled with accusations, but questions. Naruto looked away, ashamed at his anger and of his reaction.**

 **"Gaara was alone, like Sasuke, like** ** _me_** **...He was alone in the worst place possible." Naruto's words were soft and filled with heavy emotions. "He was born in the sands of Vacuo to a woman without a name. Something happened between then and the age of six, something that caused him to be brought up among the Fourth War. I never found out what it was. All I know was that he was alone in a world that refused to acknowledge him as a Human, so he followed suit and adapted. If he couldn't be a Human, and he certainly couldn't be a Faunus, then he would be a monster."**

"How can…anyone just do that?" Jaune asked. He swallowed down the bile in his throat. "Who does that?!"

"The world's a dark place Jaune, no matter what anyone says." Blake told him in a small voice.

"…Still, it isn't right."

"Nothing ever is when it comes to violence."

 **"...Tell me how you met him." Yang put a hand gently on his arm. "Please."**

 **It wasn't a request, and it didn't have to be. Naruto stared at the diamond on his mother's wedding band and became lost in the reflected moonlight.**

 **"When we're of a certain age, some students in Vacuo volunteer for a...a joint competition. The academies would switch between hosting every half-year. Sasuke and I were so** ** _lucky_** **that during our time to volunteer, it would be hosted at our home." Naruto paused for a moment as his eyes drifted shut. "I met Gaara a few days before the tournament after Sasuke and I stopped his assigned teammate from attacking a kid that ran into him. The second I met him, I could tell something was wrong with the guy."**

 ** _A boy with pale skin, red hair and a large gourd on his back dropped down from the branch of a tree to land between a younger Naruto and a boy in a black suit with a large bundle on his back. Around his green eyes were thick dark rings and his clothes looked like they belonged to someone who'd wandered the desert for years, faded and brown. The boy turned and glared at the black suited boy._**

 ** _"Shut up, Kankuro. Or I'll kill you." The boy, Gaara, spoke gravely with a rough voice. The lone girl of the group silenced the other boy, Kankuro, before he could speak again. Gaara had his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke to Naruto and Sasuke. "You two...Are strong. I await the day when I kill you both."_**

"Yeah, those are crazy eyes." Blake swallowed heavily.

"How can such a little guy look so threatening?" Jaune asked.

"Strong people come in all forms, Jaune." Pyrrha said with a frown aimed towards the screen. She couldn't help but feel a shiver down her spine at the sight of her fellow red head. It was nerve wracking.

 **"He really said that?" Yang asked, horrified.**

 **"May the Wise Oum sour my ramen forever if I lie to you now." Naruto swore with a hand up. He had a serious frown on his face as he continued. "His tone and his teammate's reactions showed that he held no qualms about doing so."**

 **"Yikes."**

 **"Yeah," Naruto said with a prominent frown as he continued to look at his mother's ring. "Next time I saw Gaara was in the preliminary matches, which came after the first and second events and would lower the competition for the finals."**

 **"Geez, this sounds like the Vytal Festival tournament," Yang said thoughtfully. "Only, less about harmony and more about bragging rights."**

"That what the Festival is about, too." Weiss noted softly. "Just veiled under all the harmony bits."

"No it's not." Ruby brushed off the notion nervously and looked to her sister for help. "Right?"

The blonde just shrugged. She didn't know and at the moment, didn't care.

 **"That's what the point was," Naruto said somberly. "Vacuo's villages need funding and it's not an easy thing to come by. So our tournament is broadcasted to other Kingdoms and to the schools. My team and I are already counting down the days for the next one so that we can watch it."**

 **"...So what happened in the preliminary fights?" Yang asked in an attempt to get away from any political talk. That stuff always bored her.**

 **Naruto gave a light chuckle. "Well, after I beat one of my old friends in a fight with a fart –"**

"That's like Jaune puking on someone in a fight." Yang cracked a small smile while the others began to snicker.

Jaune's cheeks colored. "I wouldn't do that!"

 **"Liar." Yang cut in with a smirk.**

 **"Am not, look it up," Naruto said with his own grin. "That fight went viral, has nearly a million views. Sucks, too, because I got my ass kicked for most of it. But after I beat him I managed to witness an older student of Kon fight against Gaara. And Gaara's semblance was...scary."**

 **"Define scary," Yang said with a small frown.**

 **Naruto shivered and gained a haunted look in his eyes. "He could control sand. He used the sand to...crush people."**

"Well, a large about of pressure…" Weiss trailed off with a queasy look.

"And people go pop." Nora nodded.

 **"...Oh god."**

 **"Yeah. As much as an unstoppable monster he seemed to be, he lacked one valuable quality: speed," Naruto said. "His opponent in the preliminaries' last match, Rock Lee, had trained his body to move at speeds that can rival Ruby's Semblance."**

"Bull dooky!" Ruby protested, she was wicked fast!

"To train the physical body to do such a thing, truly amazing." Pyrrha awed with a twinkle in her eye. She wouldn't mind facing an opponent that could do such a thing.

 **Yang stared at him. "Is that even possible?"**

 **"Well, yeah, I just said he did, right?"**

 **"...Touché."**

 ** _Rock Lee was a boy with a black bowl haircut and large black eyebrows panted as he stood across from Gaara, who had been beaten into the ground and the sand-like armor around his body had been cracked. Rock Lee wore a skintight green unitard with orange greaves on his legs, a red belt around his waist and white tape around his arms. He looked exhausted._**

 **"Wait, he was dressed like Professor Guy?" Yang asked.**

 **"Rock Lee was Guy's apprentice." Naruto chuckled lightly. "The next Beautiful Green Beast."**

Jaune shuddered.

 **"...** ** _That's_** **a scary thought." Yang mumbled with a light shiver. She couldn't stare at Guy, he was just too...Guy-like to admire his build. And Yang never passed down a free show.**

"Amazing, even Yang has standards." Weiss mused. She cried out when Yang punched her shoulder without even looking. "Hey!"

"So not the time to take shots, _Sneeze._ "

"Oh, you-! Ugh!"

 **"That's an understatement." Naruto sighed and gave her a small look. "Look, Yang, this is hard for me to talk about, so...could you please stop interrupting me?"**

"Yeah, Yang, we're trying to listen." Blake scolded. Yang pouted at her partner.

 **"Sorry. Go on, Naruto. I'm listening."**

 ** _The boy just used up the rest of his Aura in a final, life threatening move that he'd learned from Guy. He was technically unconscious on his feet, and it was a miracle that he was still alive. Gaara's sand shot out at the same time that Gaara extended his arm and encased the boy's right arm and leg. A loud crunch was heard and Rock Lee screamed as blood rushed from his limbs over the sand. Before Gaara could deal any more damage with his sand, Guy interfered with the match and Lee was declared the loser._**

 **"Since Gaara still had Aura to spare and could continue fighting despite his beaten state, I doubt the outcome would've changed much, except maybe Lee could've died. Lee was rushed to the hospital and the preliminaries were called to a close. Then we got a month break to train and recuperate for the finals," Naruto said with a smile as he thought back to his training. "I got some help from my godfather and Sasuke got help from our favorite teacher, which he would need, since he was set to face off against Gaara first."**

"Sasuke could fight him off from a distance, his semblance is very powerful." Weiss theorized while rubbing her chin.

"Yeah, but I don't think that matters right now." Ren reminded her.

"True."

 **"What? Then how did-?"**

 **"I'm getting there," Naruto said to his confused girlfriend. "Before the finals began, I ran into Gaara again. At the hospital."**

 **"Was he injured?" Yang asked. "Or were you?"**

 **"Neither," Naruto said with a chuckle. He rubbed his head. "Another one of my old friends was recovering from his preliminary fight so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and visit both him and Lee."**

 **Naruto's smile fell from his face as he turned away from Yang and stared off into the distance once again. "Good thing I did, too, because Gaara was going to kill Lee."**

 ** _"Hey, what the Hell do you think you're doing?!" Naruto demanded after he punched the redheaded boy hard in the face. He and another boy, Shikamaru, stood in Lee's hospital room doorway and glared at the redheaded boy. Gaara had been paralyzed by Shikamaru's semblance – dubbed Shadow Snare by the children – and Naruto capitalized on the act to save the unconscious older boy._**

 ** _Gaara stared at Naruto impassively. "I'm going to kill him. Stay out of my way or I'll kill you, too."_**

"Okay, the nonchalance is _freaky_." Yang pointed out and shivered.

 ** _"Troublesome as it is, I can't just let you kill him," Shikamaru said with a grimace as he rubbed his cheek. His semblance allowed him to control his opponent's movements, but he also felt their pain. "Damn, Naruto, did you hit him hard enough?"_**

"Man, now I really want to know my Semblance," Jaune pouted. Seriously, everyone just had such cool and unique ones, it wasn't fair.

 ** _Naruto ignored him and glared at Gaara. "Why would you kill him? Because he stomped you in your fight? That doesn't make any sense!"_**

 ** _"Careful Naruto, he could be very petty. And with how dangerous he is, it would be troublesome to fight him."_**

 ** _Gaara ignored Shikamaru and glared at Naruto. "I don't care about the fights. If I had lost, I would've died. I did not lose, I continue to exist, and therefore I must prove my existence."_**

 ** _"Prove your...? Would you just make some goddamn sense!?" Naruto returned, frustrated with the amount of crazy that wafted off of this guy._**

"Missing a few marbles doesn't even cover this guy." Nora frowned.

"It does seem like he's far beyond any sort of help." Ren agreed readily.

 ** _"What is existence? Existence is the state of being in the living organism with a purpose, something even Grimm have. As a child, I had no purpose, therefore, I did not exist. To not exist is to be dead, not on this world. But I am here, so I needed purpose." Gaara's dead glare turned into a crazed grin. "I found a purpose when I was six, after a man who called himself Leader told me of a way to prove it! To kill all who threatened my existence, Faunus, Grimm or even Humans!"_**

The audience gained sickened looks at this, having no idea what to even say to such a disturbing declaration.

 ** _Naruto and Shikamaru could only stare at the boy in horror. The crazed redhead let out a dark chuckle before he groaned and put a hand to his head. Gaara took a moment to breathe before he returned to being the stoic maniac that they knew him to be._**

 ** _"For if I cannot prove that I exist, then why am I alive? He wanted to kill me, but I realized then that I didn't want to die. I wanted to be alive, to prove that I had worth of living! It was on that day that I screamed at the world that_** **I am alive, I will not die, but threats to my existence will!** ** _I have been told that to protect something with your life is to mean you love it more than anything; in that case, I love myself and_** **only** ** _myself. Everything and everyone else on this planet, in this universe, can_** **burn** ** _so long as I continue to live. All threats to me must be extinguished. That is my purpose."_**

 ** _"...What...What kind of purpose is that?" Shikamaru asked while Naruto trembled beside him. "You...You're nuts! Crazy!"_**

"I um, don't think you should tell the clear lunatic he's crazy." Jaune softly commented.

"Too late." Nora chimed in with a wide eyed blink.

 **"...I agree with Shikamaru now," Naruto said softly while Yang stared at him. Naruto's fist clenched tightly. "Gaara was sick, he needed help, and if I tried just a bit harder, maybe if I held back more and didn't let my anger get to me..." He paused and sighed. "Maybe if I accepted that we were the same then...I wouldn't have tried to be so distant from him."**

 **"You're nothing like Gaara!" Yang quickly retorted. "You said it yourself, Gaara was sick!"**

 **"He wasn't just sick, Yang, he was lonely," Naruto said softly. He rubbed his face tiredly. "I couldn't see it then, but there was a boy inside of him that wanted a friend. Not a caretaker or a parent, he wanted someone to acknowledge him, someone to confirm that he** ** _was_** **alive and had purpose."**

"He was what? Twelve at the time?" Weiss objected. "How in the world would he know that? An adult should have seen it firsthand. There is a reason we have mandatory screenings to be Hunters."

"This was before they entered Beacon." Pyrrha told her.

"I know that, but still, someone should have seen the bomb before them. Instead, them seemed to have skirted around him."

"You have a point." Blake sadly agreed. "However, Vacuo's always been a bit shifty. It is the go-to place for runaways and people who want to disappear. So their standards may be a bit...low."

Weiss grimaced. "Right."

 **Naruto let out a bitter chuckle. "I wonder if a part of me didn't want to see it, didn't want to empathize with Gaara. Didn't want to make the same realization I did a few years ago."**

 **"...And that was?" Yang asked.**

 **"If I had never pestered Kurama, never started to prank others or made friends...I could've very well ended up like Gaara did," Naruto said gravely.**

None of the viewers could picture Naruto…well, not BEING Naruto. It was such a weird notion.

 **The revelation stunned Yang and the two blondes sat in silence beneath the moon for a few minutes. After those minutes were up, Yang's hand slipped around Naruto's and squeezed his hand. It was all that was needed, for the both of them.**

 **Yang now realized how vastly different Naruto could've been had he not made friends at his young age, how different her life could be now. As strange as it sounded, Naruto was her best friend in Beacon,**

Blake actually frowned and Yang nudged her.

"Don't pout. I did get to know him before you. And he's a bit more honest, not that the mystery isn't a bad thing with you." She teased.

Blake just gave an awkward nod. "It's fine I guess."

"Not cool." Ruby crossed her arms, looking affront at being cast aside.

"You're my sister, you don't count!"

"Feelings are hurt!"

 **possibly the first best friend she really could understand. One that understood and accepted her for who she was beneath the mask.**

 **What would her life be like without that friend, she wondered.**

 **Realizing that her thoughts were treading into dangerous waters, Yang quickly decided to restart the conversation.**

 **"So how did you two fight when he was supposed to fight Sasuke?"**

 **"Oh, he fought Sasuke...But this was Sasuke before he'd become the loveable asshole we have today," Naruto said. He chuckled. "Little arrogant bastard...He's the one guy aside from Kurama who** ** _really_** **knows how to get on my nerves. Back then it was worse, we had a rivalry of sorts, so any one sentence could set us off. I digress...Sasuke fought against Gaara, but used a replicated attack based off of our teacher's Semblance. I guess that was his mistake."**

 **"What was his mistake?"**

 **"Sasuke was the first person to make Gaara bleed."**

"So, he's never had a nose bleed?" Jaune wondered.

"I don't think so." Weiss dryly answered.

 ** _Sasuke, dressed in a high-collared black outfit with tape and an elbow pad up his right arm, quickly jumped away from the sphere of sand that he'd penetrated with his lightning-like attack. There was a pause and a confused hush spread across the audience. Naruto, from his place among the other competitors, cringed when an anguished yell escaped the hole._**

 ** _"MY BLOOD! THAT'S_** **MY** ** _BLOOD! AHH! IT HURTS!"_**

 ** _A warped mound of sand formed over the hole and shot out towards Sasuke. It changed itself into claw-like arm, with red blood coated along the sand. Sasuke retreated from the sand appendage and an explosion came from deeper into the village._**

 ** _"IT'S THE FOURTH W-!" A sentry's yell was cut off as he was decapitated. People screamed and began to panic as more explosions filled the village. Sasuke was frozen and Naruto, for the first time in his life, felt true fear as sand encased his rival-slash-friend._**

"…They are really working for that M rating." Jaune weakly noted, gulping at all the blooding.

 **"Oh my god," Yang said softly. She winced as Naruto's hand tightened slightly around hers and shone gold as his semblance started to come to life. Her hair shone as her semblance kicked in to protect her and it built up alongside his as his grip continued to tighten.**

"Hm, the glow stick couple." Weiss stroked her chin.

"No." Yang deadpanned to her.

"Why? It really fits. You both have that weird glowing effect with your Semblances."

"Still no."

 **"They attacked us while our guard was down...and Gaara was apart of it." Naruto growled lowly. His eyes squeezed shut as he fought some unsavory memories back into his subconscious.**

 **"Naruto, please let go of my hand." Yang's voice broke Naruto from his silent rage. He quickly released her hand and sent her an apologetic look. She put her hand on his arm gently. "Are you alright?"**

 **Naruto cracked a small smile. "I nearly broke your hand and you ask if I'm alright?"**

"Aura heals stuff." Yang deflected. "And I can survive a bullhead falling on me."

"When did that happen?" Ruby asked while her teammates went slacked jawed.

"You don't know what I did while at Signal those first two years. I had misadventures I didn't tell you or Dad about." Yang grimaced. Her dad still found out about them. Those punishments were not fun.

 **"Hey, I just told you to let go, not that it was nearly broken," Yang said with her own small grin. She gave Naruto a light punch in the arm. "I'm tougher than most girls, Naruto."**

 **"You don't have to remind me, Yang," Naruto said with a chuckle as he rubbed his arm. The small banter had gotten him to calm down and they fell back into a comfortable silence. The couple listened to the sounds of Beacon's calm night for a few minutes before Naruto spoke again.**

 **"Gaara and I...We didn't have some grand battle, or some magical epic fight like out of The Four Stars or Justice Brigade or anything special like that," he said. "We didn't pause to have philosophical debates, or taunt each other, or cry out attacks. I didn't try and talk him out of it like a real hero would've.**

"I doubt that any fight is like that." Blake drawled.

"Not really." Ruby debated, but Blake didn't even listen to her on that one.

She knew that Ruby could still be naïve about such things, but at the end of the day, sometimes there were no heroes.

 **Ours was a fight of instinct, so I don't remember a lot of the details, but I remember the rush, the adrenaline coursing through my veins because of my fear and excitement. Other than that, the only thing I can remember clearly is how the fight ended. Gaara had me trapped in a cocoon of sand..."**

 ** _Naruto struggled against the sand as it slowly constricted around his limbs. His semblance, as much as he could muster, flickered pitifully and illuminated the darkness of his current prison. He could see the sand slither around his arms and felt it constrict around his windpipe. Naruto's eyes went wide as he realized that this very well could be where he died._**

 ** _There was to be no mourning parade, no monuments in his honor, and no spinning newspapers that would reveal it all with a flashy large headline that read: The Great Naruto Uzumaki Dead!_**

"Great is debatable." Weiss murmured.

"He's twelve."

"I'm callin BS on that one," Jaune said under his breath. He wasn't even working out when he was twelve.

 ** _Just one second, one good squeeze, and Naruto was going to end up like a used ketchup packet._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _To Hell with that shit!_**

 ** _Naruto swore to the people of his village, of his home, that he would be the best damn Hunter on the planet. He couldn't do that if he was dead, and some freak with raccoon eyes – no offense to any bandit-like Faunus meant – was not going to stop him! Not now! Not when he was on a hot streak!_**

 ** _Naruto's body exploded with aura when the sand sharply constricted around him in an effort to kill him. The binds around his limbs failed to snap them and Naruto's airway remained intact. In fact, it started to feel easier to breathe. Naruto couldn't understand it at the time, but his body was exerting so much aura, that it was_** **overpowering** ** _Gaara's semblance. The miniscule amount of Gaara's aura within each grain of sand could not withstand the waves of Naruto's aura that were sent against them. The cocoon was being forced to open, and Naruto Uzumaki was going to live!_**

"That's a lot of aura for a child." Ren noted with narrowed eyes. "How can he keep that constant flow for so long?"

 ** _Naruto was mad – No, he was_** **furious** ** _. He wanted it to stop. Between Gaara's attacks on not only himself, but also his friends and the Fourth War's attack on_** **his** ** _village, Naruto's patience had worn thin._**

 ** _The twelve-year-old boy exploded from the cocoon and rushed at the monstrosity that Gaara had become with his sand – In hindsight, Gaara's monster form was hilarious; he looked like an obese raccoon-dog or something with a little Gaara zit at the top of the head._**

"And these kids are twelve? I so doubt that." Jaune frowned.

"Well, Naruto is clearly twelve here." Pyrrha pointed out. "He's much shorter, his face is rounder and his eyes seem a bit larger."

"I know, but come on! A giant sand raccoon? That's just plain weird."

"Semblances are strange, Jaune," Ren said simply.

 ** _Despite the ridiculous appearance, Naruto scaled the massive form in record time and ran at the awestruck redhead. He jumped at his target and primed his arm for a punch, but sand caught his limbs once more before Naruto's fist could collide with Gaara's face. Inches from satisfaction, typical._**

 ** _"No! My existence...will not end!" Gaara snarled at him. Naruto scowled and struggled with his binds. He reared his head back while he tried to free his limbs. More sand started to rise up and encase his form once more._**

 ** _Naruto refused to lose here, he was not going to let this-this psychopathic punk kill him or any of his friends. He wasn't going to let anyone else die!_**

 ** _Doing the only thing he could, Naruto flung his head forward. Their foreheads collided, but not even Gaara's sand armor could withstand the density that Naruto's semblance had given the blond. Gaara's skull cracked like an egg on the concrete and blood rushed out of the wound. Naruto, while having a splitting headache from the impromptu attack, was not as damaged._**

"Okay, it wasn't his fault. That was a desperate attack." Blake pointed out.

"And he did say he wasn't sure how to use his Semblance that well as a kid." Yang added.

"Throw in the emotions and adrenaline of battle..." Weiss trailed off.

"It wasn't Naruto's fault." Ruby nodded.

 ** _The two boys fell to the ground and the fight ended. One was stunned into a state between conscious and unconscious while he lay on his back. The other tried to cradle his throbbing head and get to his feet at the same time with little success. Both were unaware that the former's injury caused an internal bleeding that would hemorrhage in his brain._**

 **"...Gaara died five days later while imprisoned in Kon's jail." Naruto finished the story of the boy whose early life mirrored his own. "He was buried in an unmarked grave along with the other dead Fourth War members."**

"That's horrible." Ruby shuddered with tears in her eyes.

Yang looked at her little sister sadly. She hated to see Ruby like this, but the world wasn't a pretty place. This was just part of life, and it was stupid as all hell, but you had to deal with it.

 **"...He didn't deserve that." Yang frowned. As far as she could see, Gaara was as much a victim as he was a monster. Yes, his past had resulted in him becoming what he was, but he still** ** _chose_** **to believe in the way that he did. However, to be buried in an unmarked grave, to be forgotten after going so far to ensure that he would not be forgotten...She felt that it was too cruel a burial for a misguided killer.**

 **"He didn't." Naruto nodded in agreement. "Which is why a few months later, I made a grave for Gaara in the middle of Vacuo's desert**

"Man, this just keeps getting sadder." Nora said with a frown while she munched on a pancake pitifully.

"I'm sure it'll be more upbeat next episode." Ren told her.

"I hope so." Ruby mumbled.

 **while I was on a...training excursion of sorts."**

 **Yang arched a brow. "Care to elaborate on that?"**

 **"Not really...it's a family thing," Naruto said as he glanced down at his parents rings. He looked back at his girlfriend and gave her a light smile. "Any other questions?"**

 **"...Why do you blame yourself? It was an accident, wasn't it?" Yang asked.**

"You can never tell what happens in a fight," Yang breathed out. "Too many things can go wrong."

 **"An accident means that it could have been prevented. My godfather hypothesized that because I hadn't been able to control my output of my semblance, the result possibly would've ended the same either way, so I had to work on my control." Naruto explained. He lifted his right hand up and stared at his palm before he crushed it into a fist. "The day he told me that, I promised myself I would not lose control of my semblance, of** ** _myself_** **, ever again. I swore that I would never go that far. I killed Gaara, not intentionally, but it was still my fault. Could doctors have saved him? Possibly, but with so much more pressing injured on our side, and the loss of one of Kon's primary elders, no one gave him a second thought."**

 **"You did." Yang placed a hand atop Naruto's clenched fist and smiled at him. "You are a good person, Naruto. Most people would chalk Gaara's death up to an accident and leave it as such, blame it as bad karma that was bound to get him for his past deeds or label it as justice. You instead chose to regret your part in Gaara's death and grieve for him, despite him being your enemy. The fact that you** ** _care_** **, I think that would've caused Gaara to forgive you if he could."**

"Wow, that was very well put Yang." Weiss said with surprise.

"Thanks!"

"I didn't think you had it in you."

Yang shrugged it off. "If I can talk Blake into getting some sleep, I think I can handle a pep talk to my boyfriend."

"...Yang, he's not real."

"Blake, shush."

 **"...Maybe," Naruto said as he looked at her hand over his and gently smiled. "I like to think in another life we could've been good friends."**

 **"I don't doubt it," Yang said as she leaned against Naruto while lowering his hand. She pressed her lips against Naruto's gently when his head turned so that he could look at her. When they parted, Yang grinned at Naruto's confused face.**

 **"What was that for?" He asked.**

 **"For being you." Yang rested her head on Naruto's shoulder and closed her eyes, her smile still in place. "You know something, I think I could really get used to this."**

"Us is good." Yang cracked a grin. "Us is nice."

"Until dad finds out~" Ruby sang teasingly.

Yang frowned. "That's gonna suck."

 **"What? Sitting on a bench late at night and listening to a good looking guy reveal his deepest and darkest secrets to you?" Naruto asked as he looked down at her with amusement glistening in his eyes. His left arm moved to drape over her shoulders and his gaze went down to his right hand in her grasp.**

 **"That's not an unappealing thought." Yang joked back with a small smirk. When her lilac eyes opened and stared into his two ocean-like blue orbs, the smirk dwindled into a content smile. "But I was talking about** ** _us_** **."**

Yang smiled brightly. She really liked _us_. Fingers drummed on her lap and a soft, contemplative hum left her lips. Now all she had to do was find that fine boy in this world.

 **Naruto smiled back at her and once more intertwined his fingers with hers.**

 **"Us...It has a really nice ring to it. Catchy, even." His musing made her laugh.**

 **"My thoughts exactly." Yang let her eyes drift close once more and relaxed on the bench with her boyfriend. "...Can we go talk to Asuma and Kurenai tomorrow?"**

 **"Ah, crap, I forgot that we were supposed to do that." Naruto groaned. "We really should just bite the bullet and get it over with."**

 **"But I'm** ** _comfy_** **!" Yang whined.**

"His shoulder has to be so broad and relaxing." The blonde mumbled in slight jealousy.

 **"Yeah, and Kurenai's probably wondering how scarred Blake is from my psychological attack."**

"And thanks for that reminder." Blake scowled.

 **Naruto sighed as he nudged his displeased girlfriend. "Not to mention curfew is in a bit. You know how that whole song and dance goes."**

 **"Ugh, so not fair." Yang mumbled as she regretfully rose from her seat with Naruto doing the same.**

 **"I know, but we can chill some more tomo-er, the day aft-...After class on Monday?" Naruto weakly suggested as he remembered that his team needed one day to prepare the music and the day after was for the dance. That left after class as the only real free time they had.**

"Boo! I demand my Naruto Time rights!" Yang complained.

"Those rights are revoked the moment you made him the entertainment."

"…Stop smiling Weiss."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

 **"Fine." Yang mumbled sourly. She crossed her arms under her bust and let Naruto move his arm from over her shoulders to rest around her waist. "But I want at** ** _least_** **an hour of tranquility without any petting or kissing."**

 **"I don't know if I'll be able to hold out for Xiao-Long." Naruto grinned.**

 **Yang elbowed Naruto with a snort. "That was so bad, I think you just made** ** _your_** **ancestors roll over in their graves."**

 **"Sue me, I'm a little emotionally and mentally exhausted. Let's just go chat with Asuma so we can call it a night."**

 **"Now that I can agree with."**

"Bed sounds good after that." Ruby yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Need a nap sis?"

"I can stay up late, Yang. Humph!"

* * *

 **Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XVIII: Rivals**

* * *

"Okay, no more odd random moments, no more depressing pasts, let's get to the goods!" Yang clapped her hands together and rubbed them. "Show me some of that glorious Nang!"

"...I swear to god, you need a muzzle." Weiss groaned.

"Don't be jellin'!"

"I am not having this argument with you!"

"Guys, shush!" Ruby put a finger over her lips and glared at her teammates. "I'm trying to watch."

 **"So, who would like to explain this to me?" Asuma's dark eyes roamed over the four boys with an intimidating look that told them he was not in the mood for any games. To be quite frank, he really wasn't. He and Kurenai had been enjoying a lovely lunch outing when his scroll had rung and Ozpin requested he find the team he was charged with overseeing. Asuma was already annoyed with being interrupted, and learning that the interruption was due to his charges' rowdy behaviors did little to help his rising temper.**

"Boys will be boys?" Jaune assumed.

Weiss scoffed. "They were probably doing something stupid."

"You're biased!" Yang protested.

"But I'm probably right!"

"...Details!"

 **He'd walked into the sound room that Team NHKS had claimed for the morning and found, what could only be described as, a catastrophe that would cost at least fifty thousand lien to fix the room alone. Not counting the instruments or hardware, which had been put to (admittedly) creative use by the four boys.**

 **Haku's head and upper torso had ripped through the drumhead of a snare, his arms bound to his body by the instrument's material. A guitar of some sort had been imbedded in the wall neck first beside a certain ginger's head and the keyboard in the room was shoved against the sole Faunus' stomach, so as to keep Kurama pinned to the wall. Naruto had another guitar smashed over his head and dangled from his neck while his hands had wrapped around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke, likewise, had his hands on the guitar around Naruto's neck, with black arcs of aura running up the strings.**

"Wow, and I thought girl bands had issues." Ren mused while Jaune's jaw dropped.

"And you wonder why I keep telling you boy bands are stupid?" Ruby asked Yang while she pointed the screen. "That's why!"

"Shut up."

 **The two had stopped once Asuma had opened the door and shot to their feet, accusing one another with fingers aimed at their respective opponent.**

 **"This duck-haired bastard-!" "That whiskered dumbass-!"**

 **Asuma's hands shot out and clamped over Naruto and Sasuke's mouths. The two teens grabbed at the hands over their faces, struggled and muffled grunts escaped the small cracks between Asuma's palms and their skin. The experienced Huntsman turned his gaze to the two other boys under his watch.**

 **"Let's try one more time. Without yelling or insults." Asuma looked pointedly at Haku.**

 **"We'd managed to practice for three hours before it all happened," Haku said. He sat down on one of the knocked over speakers, seemingly resigned to his fate of being trapped by the snare drum,**

"Now that's putting a new term to bondage. His fan girls would probably die for a picture or some alone time with him like that." Yang mused while she rubbed her chin in thought.

"Yang," Pyrrha frowned. "You can't just profit off of his poor situation."

"I'm a business woman, I do what I must!"

 **and hung his head. "Then, during the five minute break, Kurama–"**

 **"I didn't start this! Don't you dare blame this on me, Yuki-!" The air around Kurama's head became thin and the Faunus found it slightly difficult to breathe. He looked over at Asuma, who had narrowed eyes locked on the foxlike teen's form.**

 **"Do not interrupt." Asuma growled, and Kurama nodded frantically. He released the invisible bubble he had formed around Kurama's head and the Faunus gasped as he swallowed the air that was slightly deprived of him. Dark eyes turned back to Haku expectantly and the boy gulped. Asuma fought back the smirk that threatened to form on his face when he heard the audible admission of fear. And it wasn't without good reason, no one wanted to suffocate or drown, aside from disease, blood loss or poison, those were the slowest deaths possible.**

"He has an air Semblance?" Weiss registered with intrigue. "Just the applications alone…"

"I wonder if he can fly?" Ruby pondered with a happy smile, she'd like to fly on her own.

 **"W-Well, like I was saying, Kurama mentioned his date to the dance," Haku said. The light stutter at the beginning nearly broke Asuma's composure again, but the experienced hunter held strong. "Sasuke, Naruto and I teased him a little about getting a date, and eventually the teasing shifted to Sasuke, who hadn't yet found one despite his sudden rise in popularity, since Kurama released a certain photograph to the other students."**

"Probably those shots from when he passed out after finding out about the Trap." Yang nodded, nice move.

 **"Again, you're welcome," Kurama said with a smirk aimed at the black haired boy. Sasuke glared daggers at Kurama and black sparks danced across his hands.**

 **"However," Haku said after he gave Kurama a pointed look. "Sasuke then turned the tables and made a jab at Naruto and Yang's late return the other night. Naruto responded accordingly with a retort concerning Sasuke's ex-girlfriend and this...is the, uh, part where you came in."**

"Hey, we were having a heart to heart!" Yang growled with red eyes.

"We know that." Blake tried to calm her down. "It was just Sasuke messing around."

 **Asuma nodded and looked back at the two in his grasp. Naruto and Sasuke had once more started to glare at one another. Naruto's eyes flashed gold while his skin began to heat up and Sasuke's hands began to spark once more. The older Huntsman sighed and recalled a few similar, if not milder, instances that occurred between the two boys when they were enrolled in Kon Academy. They were like the Sun and the Moon, both worked together well, but there were times that they clashed.**

"Does that mean that Sasuke is shattered?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"Maybe. Now I know why me and Naruto get along." Yang beamed brightly.

 **It seems with all the stress of their current duties, along with a smidge of teenage hormones, the two began to fall into old and familiar habits.**

 **"I suppose there's only one solution for this." Asuma sighed. Thankfully, Beacon had tons of funding that could easily fix and replace the damaged items within the room. Pricey, it would be, but in the long run it wasn't as damaging as, say, the incident that gave Team KAAG a good cover for watching over a few of Beacon's most promising.**

"Here that? We're promising." Ruby preened.

"Yes, but we already know that." Weiss agreed.

"No wonder they work so well together." Blake told Yang, who snickered in agreement.

 **Asuma forced Naruto and Sasuke to head-butt one another in order to break off their staring contest. He looked at the two in his grasp sternly once Sasuke shook off the daze that came from the blow and Naruto got over the mild irritation that came from the small pain he received, Asuma tightened his grip.**

 **"I'm going to let you go, and you're going to go free Kurama and Haku from their predicaments. The four of you are going to** ** _quietly_** **follow me until I say otherwise. Am I understood?"**

 **Naruto and Sasuke sent another quick glare at one another before they looked back at him and nodded.**

 **"Good." Asuma released their mouths and put his hands on his hips. "Get to it."**

 **"So that's what's happened, huh?" Kurenai said thoughtfully. She sent a reply to the message Asuma had sent her via scroll before she sent two more messages to Aoba and Guy. With her teammates informed of the situation, Kurenai decided to round her team up and join Asuma's group near Emerald Forest. It had been a while since she'd seen the two boys spar.**

"So they're going to fight? Epic!" Nora looked giddy.

"It should be good for our team since they'll be the big hitter of the Festival." Weiss hummed.

"Try to have some fun, Weiss." Yang rolled her eyes.

 **A small smile spread across her lips as she thought back to when the boys were young. Sasuke was the broody little boy that all the little girls had crushes on and Naruto was the orange clad troublemaker filled with what seemed like endless energy, especially when Kurama assisted him. The two boys were alone at the time, Sasuke's parents recently dead at his brother's hands and Naruto without his, which one would think would bring the two together. But no, they absolutely** ** _hated_** **each other. She was an assistant teacher then, something that helped her cement her dreams to be a teacher later in life, and managed to help stop their fights before they fell out of hand. Thankfully, the worst their childhood squabbles had ended with bruises or cut lips.**

"…They sound so cute." Ruby muttered.

"She always did love babysitting, which is funny seeing you're a bit of a baby."

Ruby turned red and reached over Weiss to punch Yang's arm. "I am not! And I'm great with kids!"

"Because of your sugar affinity!"

"It's not an affinity!"

 **That is, until Sasuke was poisoned by one of Kon's former elites. Kurenai remembered that day clearly. Not even three weeks after the Vacuo Intermediate Tournament, the day Asuma lost his father and the village lost their beloved elder, Sasuke ran from Kon. Naruto pursued him and, upon catching up with the boy he called his rival, fell into another fight. This time, however, they had their aura accessible to them and their Semblances had been somewhat trained.**

 **Kurenai didn't know how the fight went, but she knew that Naruto had come out the victor. The then twelve year old dragged the battered and bruised Sasuke back through the village gates with dried blood, infected cuts, and what looked like a bad burn on the left side of his chest. Aoba was stationed at the gate that day, and his words still chilled Kurenai to the bone.**

 **"** ** _Those two boys are either going to be the best heroes this world has ever seen...or the worst villains to walk this planet."_**

"…That's not ominous at all." Jaune laughed weakly.

"Man, I wish we could have seen the fight." Ruby pouted. "It sounds epic!"

"Maybe they've got a flashback mini-series." Pyrrha suggested.

"We must see this!"

 **Granted, Aoba was a bit over-imaginative sometimes, but still, Kurenai was not and still had not been made privy as to what caused the damage. Oh, the official statement was that they were attacked on the way back by a pack of Beowolves, but Kurenai knew the village leader was using that as a way to conceal something. Frankly, Kurenai wanted to know what it was so she could help assess the boys' mental states, which had always been in question prior to their acceptance to Beacon.**

 **For god's sake, Naruto had accidentally killed someone and Sasuke, until after he and Naruto fought, had been swearing to his grave he'd find his older brother and killed him. Neither saw the village psychiatrist and Kakashi, their original teacher, kept his mouth shut firmly over what he considered to be 'his team's business. It was the one time Kurenai truly wished to punch the smug smut-reading bastard right in his face.**

"We have mandatory screenings for a reason people!" Weiss frowned. She palmed her face, "That is so unethical."

 **Honestly, all that man did in his free time was walk around the village with his nose buried in his orange-edition of** ** _Ninja's In Love_** **!**

Blake's bow twitched at this.

"Seems like we know where Sasuke got his habit from."

Bake glared at the grinning Yang. _She so_ wanted to punch the blonde right in the face, right now.

 **Kurenai will never know how he became the–**

 **"Kurenai! Kurenai!"**

 **The red-eyed woman was torn from her thoughts when the girls she was on the way to pick up ran around the corner and slid to a stop in front of her, all dressed in their casual gear due to it being the weekend. Yang and Ruby had wide eyes and had bright smiles on their faces while Weiss seemed a bit upset and Blake looked indifferent, but had a small gleam of intrigue in her amber eyes. Kurenai supposed that the indifference and intrigue was better than the obsessed exhaustion that the Faunus used to have about her.**

 **Yang's talk and Naruto's ridiculous idea did some good it seemed.**

"I could sue." The Faunus argued weakly.

"We'd deny it." Yang told her.

 **"Hello girls, I was just on my way to pick you up," Kurenai said with another smile. Best not to trouble them with her thoughts after all. "Asuma has something-"**

 **"Uchiha and Uzumaki are going to fight. There, we told her, can we get back to the ballroom, please?" Weiss asked with a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest. Ruby sent her partner a small pout.**

 **"We've been in the ballroom since breakfast!" the red-hooded girl whined. "Besides, think of it as getting ready for the tournament! Team NHKS is going to be one of the hardest competitors, and we** ** _know_** **what they can do!"**

"Wow, Ruby's taking the initiative before Weiss?"

"I had a dance to work on!" Weiss tossed her hands in the air at Yang teasing words. "Besides, who wants to see two stupid boys brain each other?"

Most people raised their hands at this, even Pyrrha, who looked intrigued.

 **"Please, any strategy you can come up with will be akin to a general's compared to Uzumaki's strategies," Weiss said, her arms still crossed over her chest while she sent her team leader a small frown. Yang gained a small secretive smirk at Weiss' words, but kept her thoughts to herself.**

"You know something…" Weiss glared at her teammate.

"Duh, I'm dating him." Yang rolled her eyes at Weiss' obvious words.

"You should be telling us!"

"You mean you?"

"No! But your leader and sister, yes."

The blonde frowned. "Using my sister and loyalties to the team, that's so underhanded, but I can respect it. I still probably won't tell you though."

Weiss' eye twitched violently. "You..."

"SHHH!" Nora shushed them.

 **Kurenai furrowed her brows.**

 **"Wait a minute, how did you find out about the spar?" She asked the four. Ruby nudged her sister, who pulled her scroll out from her jacket pocket.**

 **"We got this mass message from Coco a few minutes ago," Yang said as she offered the technological device to the older woman. Amused lilac eyes turned to Ruby and a smile grew on Yang's face. "Well, Weiss, Blake and I did. Rubes here forgot her scroll in her room."**

 **"It was breakfast time. I was more concerned about food than what I had with me," Ruby said sheepishly. She sent another pout at her white-haired partner. "Plus, Weiss kept us in the dumb ballroom after we ate so I couldn't go get it..."**

"Don't you go blaming me."

"It always you pushing me around." Ruby pouted at her partner.

"Well maybe if someone didn't need their hand held…"

"And a sick ice-cold burn from Weiss."

"Yang!" Ruby whined.

 **"I needed your help with decorating, Ruby," Weiss said pointedly before she looked back at the Huntress assigned to be their 'mother hen'.**

 **Once she finished reading the message, Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose and gave Yang her scroll back.**

 **"I'm going to kill Aoba." She mumbled. With a heavy sigh, Kurenai lowered her hand and made an about turn. "Come on, let's go before the whole area gets crowded."**

 **Asuma glared at Aoba. He had only wanted his team and their respective charges to witness the two teammates' spar, hopefully to knock down the boys' egos as well as to let them vent without having to be worried about holding back too much. Exertion was a great stress reliever, after all.**

 **Now, though, there was a massive assembly of teens from the visiting schools. Asuma definitely had to tell Ozpin and the hardass that was General Ironwood about the, by Vale's legal terms anyway, sanctioned 'underground' fight he was going to have the boys do.**

"Whoo! Rip those shirts off! Let's see some skin!" Yang cheered with a grin on her face.

"Yang, show some little decency, please." Pyrrha sighed.

"I promise nothing!"

"...All we need is a mud pit…"

"Blake!" Pyrrha squawked.

The Faunus flushed as her thoughts slipped out of her mouth.

 **Both men initially objected to the fight, but Asuma convinced them after ten minutes of heated argument. However, he had to allow them to set the perimeter, not let it reign throughout the whole forest like Asuma wished.**

 **(Let it be known that while Asuma does enforce the laws of the kingdoms he is in, he usually finds most outrageously stupid or overly complicated to the point of uselessness. He was from Vacuo and that was what most thought of the other kingdoms' ridiculous regulations.)**

"Our rules aren't that bad." Weiss frowned in protest.

"I could make an Atlesian joke, but I'll keep it to myself."

"...Thank you for showing such restraint." Weiss grumbled.

"No problem." Yang waved her off.

 **"This is all on** ** _your_** **head." Asuma informed the sunglasses-wearing man. He pointed a finger at Aoba and his eyes narrowed. "If any one of those kids tries to interfere and gets hurt, I'm blaming you."**

 **"I understand. I still protest, though. Giving them** ** _those_** **rules to abide by–"**

 **"I know what I'm doing, Aoba. You watch your kids, don't let them watch you," Asuma said firmly as he turned back to the large one hundred and ten foot wide circle that the crowd had formed. He walked over to one side, standing to Kurenai's right near her team and opposite of the scarily serious Guy and Aoba, who had Teams JNPR and CFVY close to them. Asuma looked to his left, where Kurama stood with his arms crossed and his gaze focused on the two teens that stood twenty feet from each other. Haku was on Kurama's left, his gaze just as serious as Guy and Aoba's. In Haku's hands were Naruto's gauntlets, the Storm Breakers, and at his hip was Sasuke's sword, Amaterasu.**

"No weapons?" Ruby frowned. She shuddered at the feeling of not having Crescent Rose with her in a fight, it was her lucky baby!

 **Asuma looked back at the two fighters and lifted a hand, calling for silence. It came quickly for a large group of teens, but once it had, the experienced Huntsman stepped forward, his hand still raised.**

 **"The rules for this spar are simple: No excessive use of Aura and no weapons allowed. The fight will end when either one can no longer stand, surrenders or when** ** _I_** **say so. Do you understand?"**

 **"Just give us the go ahead already! I need to rip this smug bastard a new asshole," Naruto said with a scowl.**

"He could do it, too." Yang winced. "That's not going to make Sasuke look pretty."

 **"You won't even be able to leave a scratch on my face, dumbass," Sasuke said with a small sneer as he tapped his thumb against his forehead.**

 **"First make the** ** _Tairitsu no In_** **(Seal of Confrontation)."**

"The wha?" Ruby asked.

"No idea." Was her answer from practically everyone. They were just as confused.

 **Asuma's order was met with confused whispers from the crowd, save for his team as well as Haku and Kurama.**

 **Naruto and Sasuke kept their heated glares locked as they lifted opposite hands, Naruto's right and Sasuke's left. Their index and middle fingers remained raised while the ring and pinky curled inward, the thumb folded over them.**

"Oh, I see." Pyrrha nodded. "It must be a cultural sign of respect between fighters."

"Wha-That's a waste for butt-whoopin' time!" Nora protested. She raised her fists and began to throw punches. "Just ring the bell and let's go!"

"Respectful fighting is hard to come across, Nora." Ren noted. "It's interesting to see that Naruto, Kurama and Sasuke come from a place that enforces it. It definitely increases drive to become better if you have a respectful opponent that you lose to, and rematches are more likely."

"...Ohhh..." Nora nodded and beamed. "Got it!"

 **The sight brought a small smile to Asuma's face before he hardened his gaze and brought his hand down.**

 **"Begin!"**

 **Sasuke moved first, being the faster of the two. An underhanded punch came from the left, striking Naruto in the stomach. His eyes narrowed, Sasuke followed with another blow. His hand balled tightly and became a solid fist, a haymaker that hit its mark in Naruto's right side.**

"Wow, that was pretty quick," Ruby whistled. "Not as fast as me of course, but still pretty fast."

 **Naruto stumbled back with a cringe on his face as his arm instinctively went to cover his side. No excessive aura meant he was not allowed to enhance his already impressive durability, but Sasuke could. And had. That blow fractured a rib, Naruto was sure of it.**

"So with Naruto's Semblance tied to his aura output, that means Sasuke is going for all the chances he can to get the upper hand out the gate." Jaune deduced.

Pyrrha beamed. "Exactly Jaune, good eye."

The blond smiled at the praise.

 **Well, retaliation was needed.**

 **From his coiled position initially meant to defend his side, Naruto launched himself at Sasuke. His initial punch flew over Sasuke's head when the raven-haired teen ducked to the side, but the follow through elbow improvisation nailed the smug prick right in the jaw. Sasuke was knocked to the ground from the blow, but quickly got back to his feet.**

 **"Not bad..." Sasuke's compliment was soft and he rubbed his bruising skin with his hand. His onyx eyes didn't leave the cerulean blues that glared back at him. A smirk spread across Sasuke's face. "Felt worse, though."**

 **Naruto grit his teeth, but kept from lashing out. Like many with Semblances that created, embodied, resembled or used fire, Naruto's greatest weakness is his temper.**

Knowing eyes turned to Yang, who looked around at them in confusion. "What? ...What!?"

 **As a boy with no parents and really no authority figure to keep him in check, Naruto succumbed to his anger a lot more often than he'd like to admit. Sasuke knew this, they had been rivals since childhood after all, and exploited it constantly. That knowledge alone was enough to make Naruto's blood boil.**

 **"Oh, going with the silent treatment again? You haven't done this for a few years," Sasuke said thoughtfully. He let his left foot slide behind his right, his left arm fold behind his back and turned to the side. Sasuke held his right hand out and beckoned Naruto. "I will admit this is probably even more annoying than your consistent chatter. That I can tune out, but this, I have to wonder...what exactly are you thinking about right now?"**

 **"...Your mother."**

"Oh snap." Ren said with a blink of his eyes.

"He pushed the bad button." Jaune shook his head.

 **Sasuke's amusement fell and his eyes narrowed. The crowd let out a loud chorused gasp and someone in the back yelled 'aw, snap! It's on now!'**

 **Naruto smirked. Like he said, he and Sasuke had been rivals since childhood. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses far better than anyone else could ever hope to. Granted, back then Naruto would be the first to succumb to his emotions before Sasuke, however now that he's matured slightly and learned from possibly the man who was the master of antagonizing his enemies, Naruto knew when to react and when to think.**

 **"You're** ** _dead_** **, Dead-Last."**

 **"Bring it, Duck-Butt."**

"It's true!" Nora pointed out, "Seriously, you'd think ducklings would be following him all the time."

"His hair waddles!" Ruby giggled out.

"Right!?" Nora laughed.

 **The two charged at each other and fists flew. Some blows struck, some were blocked, and others were countered.**

 **Sasuke's strikes were fast and effective, calculated and empowered by his fury. Perhaps, also, a tiny bit of aura, mostly fury, though. Mostly.**

"Cheater!" Ruby frowned.

 **Naruto's blows were heavy and wild, aimed to hit once and cripple a joint or muscle. Mild anger swelled through his blood. The anger at Sasuke's attitude, his comments made earlier in the day, that had dwindled slightly. It was still there, but it didn't control him. Much.**

 **Naruto missed a wide swing aimed to at least give Sasuke a black eye or broken nose, or at most give him a concussion. Sasuke used the miss to his advantage, he dropped low and swept his leg across the ground. Naruto instinctively jumped to avoid it and then cursed once he realized what had happened.**

 **The initial launch that he had used against that White Fang Lieutenant on the docks was not an Uzumaki original, but a modified variant of a kick used by Uchiha Sasuke.**

"So they use each other's moves? That's interesting." Pyrrha said with her keen eyes locked on the fight.

"Drat, we can't pull that off." Ruby pouted at her team. If they all had coordinated moves, it would be so epically cool! They all had too different of fighting styles to do that, though.

 **Naruto just fell into the same trap he managed to avoid time and time again, and even duplicate at some point.**

 **Realizing his blunder, Naruto's arms shot up to cross over his face just as Sasuke's foot shot up. The sandal smacked into Naruto's arms, and the whiskered blond flew up.**

 **"Wow, look at him go." Mercury had a mildly impressed smirk on his face as the whiskered blond rocketed into the clouds.**

"No way." Weiss shook her head. "Sasuke doesn't have the power to kick someone into the clouds. I claim the holy word shenanigans to this!"

"I don't think that is plausible either." Pyrrha agreed. She had seen many fights and that was certainly new and slightly silly.

"Uh...Ahem?" Nora and Yang gave them pointed looks.

"Yang, you're a power absorber and Nora-"

"I use electricity to amp my strength, and besides, something hit fast enough will go pretty far up. So maybe Sasuke used his lightning to increase his speed." Nora pointed out. "A fast car can beat a brick wall, even if the brick is denser, but a slow car will hardly make a dent."

"I swear, physics were the only science you did well in." Ren sighed.

 **He whistled lightly when the stoic raven-haired teen launched up after him from the ground. "Don't see that every day."**

"Exactly!" Weiss nodded sternly. "Who even jumps that high?"

"And I thought white boys couldn't jump." Yang hummed.

"Sun's got a pretty high jump, and so does Velvet." Blake noted.

 **"No, you most certainly do not," Cinder said with a pensive frown on her face. Her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed. The clouds began to darken overhead and thunder could be heard rumbling in the distance. Cinder turned her gaze to the mint-haired girl, her red eyes locked on the spot the two boys had disappeared into.**

 **"Emerald, why did you not tell me of their semblances?" she asked lowly. Emerald didn't tear her eyes away from the dark sky, her frown prominent.**

 **"How can I tell you what I don't know? We used to date, not spar."**

"Bitch." Yang crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the girl.

"Yang, you can't say that every time you see her." Blake sighed.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"But that's a completely different Emerald!"

"Can we just watch the fight?" Ruby asked with a whine.

 **Cinder clicked her tongue in annoyance with the useless retort. She knew of the blond's Semblance from Roman's report on the failed shipyard heist, a strength boost unlike which has never been seen before, but the teammate's were unknown. Now, Cinder had figured it to be speed, based on his movements, but then there was a flash of light and a crack of lightning. She saw the silhouettes of the boys in the clouds, the blond was still covering his face and the raven-haired had a leg extended. It would seem that lightning was his Semblance.**

"Why haven't they fallen yet?!" Weiss said, this went against physics, even by Remnants standards!

 **"W-where did they go?" Weiss asked quietly, her eyes glued to the dark sky.**

"I already asked." Weiss sighed at her other.

Ruby just awkwardly patted her back.

 **"Up." Yang frowned and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Come on, Naruto, kick his ass!"**

 **"Is now really the time for that?" Blake asked. She could see where Yang would want to cheer her boyfriend on, but it seemed obvious to her that Sasuke had a larger advantage. Naruto was a tank, sure, but he was limited here. Sasuke's Semblance was much more versatile under these rules and he needed only a slight bit of aura.**

"Traitor!" Yang sent a hurt look to her partner.

"I'm just calling it as I see it." Blake shrugged.

"You're my partner, you should automatically root for my boyfriend," Yang said. "I'd cheer for yours!"

"I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Not with that attitude you won't!"

 **"You wouldn't cheer Sun on if he was fighting Neptune?" Yang asked.**

Yang gave her partner a smug look.

Blake rolled her eyes.

 **"Sun and Neptune don't seem like the type of friends who make death threats with one another," Blake said dryly.**

 **"Says you. You and Sun haven't been on a date yet, so what do you** ** _really_** **know about him?"**

Blake gave Yang a flustered glare.

"You're only proving my point."

 **"We've...I...Shut up, Yang." Blake decided to return her attention to the fight lest she incriminated herself. If Yang found out about the tea Blake and Sun shared, the teasing would be merciless. Blake would die long before Yang learned of it through her.**

Yang perked up at this while Blake wanted a hole to die in, right now.

"Oh, when this is over~"

"Don't make me shoot you, Yang."

 **"Take a hint from the best, Deadlast!" Sasuke snarled as his right leg rose up. "When you fall down...!"**

 **The axe kick made its mark on Naruto's crossed arms and the blond teen broke through the darkened clouds in a rapid descent. He hit the dirt with a loud bang and made a small crater, even by his normal standards. A cloud of dust covered the area after Naruto's impact and Sasuke landed with a grunt on the edge. The black haired teen peered down at Naruto with a small sneer.**

 **"Stay down."**

 **"...Can't tell me what to do..." Naruto mumbled into the dirt.**

"He has a retort for everything, huh?" Jaune asked in amusement.

"That mouth tends to get him in trouble," Weiss said dryly.

"Oh yeah it does." Yang grinned. "Bad boy."

"...You're disgusting."

"And you're jealous."

 **He planted his hands on either side of his body and began to push himself up.**

 **"Friggin smartass."**

 **"I'd rather be a smartass than a dumbass," Naruto said groggily. He turned to face Sasuke and was met by a sandaled boot to the head. Naruto fell once more to his hands and knees. Immense pain filled his mouth along with a familiar metallic taste. Naruto's eyes flashed and he looked over his shoulder at Sasuke. The raven-haired teen's smug grin fell when Naruto spat out a reddened tooth.**

"…That pasty bitch!" Yang shouted as her eyes burned red. "His perfect teeth! You fiend!"

"He did have a nice smile." Pyrrha agreed under her breath.

 **"Oh. Crap." Asuma grimaced. The Beacon students near him, save for an equally grimacing Kurama, gave him quizzical looks. Feeling the many eyes fall on the older man, Asuma sighed.**

 **"Naruto takes pride in four things: His skills as a Huntsman, his noodles, his ability to pull off wearing the color orange, and his smile.**

"…So much pride, whoo." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Hey, orange is tough to pull off." Yang argued.

"Yeah, okay."

"Whatever single color motif."

"White is perfect on me!"

"Yeah, perfect for you to blend in with the snow."

"Exa-Shut up!"

 **Apparently, his grin was the one thing he inherited from both of his parents," the smoker said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag and exhaled while the whiskered blond got to his feet. "I doubt that I need to tell you how important that is to him."**

 **"They're going to break the limited Aura rule," Kurama said knowingly. Asuma nodded in agreement.**

 **"Yes they are."**

"…Bitchin'." Nora broke out into a grin.

 **"Are you going to intervene?" Kurenai asked. Asuma shook his head in the negative.**

 **"Not unless I absolutely have to."**

"Isn't that poor judgment?" Blake asked with a frown. "These two could really hurt each other."

"He probably knows them better than we do," Ren said.

 **"Smart call." Kurama nodded. Asuma grinned lightly and crossed his arms over his chest.**

 **"The Old Man didn't raise a fool, just a rebel."**

 **Naruto said nothing as he got to his feet and wiped the blood away from the corner of his mouth. He calmly climbed out of the crater that he'd created, and stood to Sasuke's immediate left.**

 **"...Would it help a little if I said I was sorry?"**

"Even he knows he done goofed." Nora whistled.

"Goofed he did." Ruby nodded in agreement.

 **Naruto shook his head.**

 **"...Fair enough." Sasuke brought his arm up over his shoulder and moved to deliver a fast chop to the back of Naruto's neck.**

 **Naruto tilted out of the way so that the edge of Sasuke's fingernails barely scraped his skin. The blond dropped to his hands and thrust his feet into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke was launched a good distance away where he landed tumbling backwards head over heels.**

 **Sasuke groaned as he started to rise. One of his onyx eyes cracked open locked with Naruto's cerulean blue. Their gaze held for another minute before Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red crystal that he popped into his mouth.**

 **"Did he just eat a Fire Dust crystal?" Neptune asked with narrowed eyes.**

"He's insane." Weiss mumbled with her jaw popped open.

 **"...What's his name again, Sun?" A redheaded teenage boy asked with a glance aimed at the Faunus member of the Mistral team.**

 **"Uchiha Sasuke," Sun said. His grin was small, but his gaze was focused on the fight. Particularly focused on his friend, who had tensed immediately once he recognized what Sasuke had done. The sage-haired teen to Sun's right lost some color to his darker skin.**

 **"Uchiha? Like...As in, The Grimm Master, Uchiha?" he asked.**

"The what? What kind of name is that?" Jaune asked, confused.

"I think it's for Sasuke's brother." Ren told him. "Remember what he said that happened before his father went mad?"

"Oh...but why Grimm Master?"

 **"Yep." Sun nodded.**

 **"...The same guy that turned a pack of Ursai loose on his team before he drove his father insane?" Neptune asked, his eyes wide.**

"He controls Grimm, okay, I call broken powers!" Jaune tossed up a finger into the air. "That's just dumb, broken, and unfair!"

"And a terribly lost asset." Weiss agreed.

"Not the point, but sure, whatever."

 **"The very one."**

 **"Oh. Wonderful." Neptune leaned over to the redhead beside him. "Scarlet, remind me to stay** ** _away_** **from Team NHKS during the tournament."**

 **"Only if you do the same for me," Scarlet said with a small grimace. His eyes bulged out of their sockets when Sasuke's chest expanded and his head reared back. "What–?"**

"He's gonna blow! And not in the good way!"

Blake slapped her face with her palm. "Goddammit Yang…"

 **"The Heck!?" Weiss' light-blue eyes were just as wide as the eyes of all those around her when Sasuke's chest expanded in an absurd manner.**

 **"I-Is that supposed to happen when you use Dust?" Ruby asked.**

 **"Nope." Kurama answered in Weiss' stead. "You're about to see one of two people who have nearly mastered the use of edible Fire Dust crystals in battle. Watch carefully."**

"Who eats dust?!" Weiss cried out with comically wide eyes.

"Sasuke apparently." Pyrrha answered her.

"I was being rhetorical!"

"And she gave a rhetorical answer!" Nora cheered.

 **Sasuke flung his head forward and held his right hand up to his mouth, the index and thumb a centimeter apart. A massive ball of fire expelled out of Sasuke's mouth as his chest deflated. The fireball, easily the size of Yatsuhashi, flew at Naruto rapidly and burnt the grass beneath it without making contact. Its target did nothing to move out of the way, but he did bring his arms back and extend his hands.**

 **Kurenai's eyes went wide and she turned to her fiancé worriedly.**

 **"Asuma-!"**

 **"I know. He's going to use the Toad's Thunderclap," Asuma said firmly. He cupped his hands over his mouth. "GUY! AOBA! THUNDERCLAP!"**

"…That does not sound good." Ren mused.

"That's a no duh right there Ren," Jaune snorted.

 **The two men seemed to pale at his announcement. Kurama and the four adults covered their ears with their hands and dropped to the ground like they were preparing for a tornado. The sight of the four experienced Huntsmen and Huntress crouching down and clapping their hands over their ears was enough to make the large audience of teenage students do the same. Eyes stayed locked on the fight, even if they couldn't hear anything.**

 **"This is going to suck so bad." Haku overheard Kurama mumble.**

 **Naruto's arms, shoulders and chest tightened for a brief moment before, like a coiled spring being released, he relaxed the tension and brought his hands together. Instead of the usual clap of skin colliding with skin, there was a massive boom and the force of Naruto's aptly named Thunderclap released a huge gust of wind that expelled from his hands outwards. The gust washed over the crowd and knocked over a few who were unprepared for the force of the winds.**

"…What is with these two, they're just too insane." Weiss paled.

"A-And we might have to fight them…"

Weiss paled further at Ruby's stuttering statement.

 **Sasuke's fireball was extinguished almost a half-second before it could reach Naruto, but that didn't deter the raven-haired teen in the slightest.**

 **While their audience recuperated from the Thunderclap, Sasuke charged at Naruto despite the ringing in his ears. Onyx eyes narrowed as another red crystal was pulled from his pocket and popped into his mouth.**

 ** _Didn't think he'd have learned_** **that** ** _from his godfather._** **Sasuke thought bitterly as he chewed the crystal and mixed his aura with it.** ** _Well, if quality won't stop him, maybe quantity will._**

"He's going to spit dozens of little fireballs, isn't he?" Jaune asked.

"Yep." Nora answered him.

"Figures…I wonder if he was part of the circus or something…"

 **Sasuke inhaled through his nose and exhaled small fireballs from his mouth. The projectiles were evaded by his opponent, who began to back away from Sasuke despite the obvious advantage he had in close quarters combat.**

 ** _What is he doing now?_** **Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly and stopped his pursuit, but continued his rapid-fire assault. His rival was stupidly smart when in battle, and the last thing Sasuke could afford would be one of Naruto's infamous on-the-fly strategies.**

"How fitting, stupidly smart." Weiss smirked.

"Must you rag on him so much?" Blake sighed.

"What do you care?" Weiss asked with a frown. Blake gave her a tired look and she huffed. "He called me Sneeze…There is only so much civility I can muster."

"I think it's an affectionate nickname at this point."

"...I'll kill him."

 **Sasuke fired his last fireball and took in his surroundings with his peripheral vision.**

 ** _No traps, no reason for me to be lured. I haven't had my eyes off of him at all except for when I tried to crisp him a second ago...Oh, Hell, he didn't-!_**

 **Sasuke looked up to the cleared** ** _cloudless_** **sky, wincing when his eyes made contact with the bright sun. He looked back to the last place he saw Naruto and scowled when he noted that there was no whiskered blond to be seen.**

"He's a chameleon!" Nora gasped, "Truly, his ninja prowess is amazing."

"He's not a ninja!" Weiss complained.

 **"Shit." Sasuke cursed under his breath.** ** _He made me paranoid. Goddammit. Where is he? Where is he? He's not below, in front, on either side or behind me...so that leaves..._**

 **"Above!" Sasuke looked up again and narrowly jumped away from the two descending feet belonging to his opponent. A glowing Naruto had a mad grin on his face as he landed in the ground. The force of his landing made the ground crack and cave in for a good thirty feet in diameter.**

"He smashes well." Nora rubbed her chin with acknowledged eyes.

 **"Damn, and I was sure that the Food Cart Destroyer would've done the job," Naruto said.**

 **"Maybe if we were still young, but you used that on me the last time we fought." Sasuke said. He smirked and landed outside of the impact zone Naruto had made. Sasuke held his left hand around his right wrist as black lightning began to crackle at the tips of his fingers.**

 **"I think they're almost recovered from your attempt to cheat and win, Deadlast." He informed his rival.**

 **Naruto's grin widened and he held his right hand out in front of him with the right over it. A golden sphere began to form in Naruto's palm and his left hand began to move erratically to keep the shape.**

"He has a mini-sun!" Yang squealed. She gave the screen a stern look. "He better have named it after me!"

"I think it already has a name." Ren pointed out the likelihood.

Yang pouted. "But-but-but to name an attack after your girlfriend! _That_ is true love!"

"In what world do you live in?" Weiss asked her with a weird look on her face.

Yang grinned and pointed at her breasts. "My own orbit~"

"…You are so-ugh!"

 **"Then let's end this like we usually do, Bastard." Naruto's skin lost its golden glow while the sphere remained over his palm. "Let's end it with a bang!"**

 **"Is he...shaping his aura?" Pyrrha asked with a blink of her eyes.**

 **"I believe so." Ren nodded.**

"That's not possible." Weis muttered.

"You've said that how many times now?" Ruby asked.

"And I've yet to be answered as to why it is!"

 **"What?" Jaune exclaimed while he wiggled his finger around in his ear. He still couldn't hear a damn thing since Naruto clapped his hands.**

 **"Such passion! It is the embodiment of their Flames of Youth!" Guy declared boisterously as tears poured down from his eyes and he held his fist in front of him. "They, too, are Eternal Rivals! To always match in battle when the feeling arises, to assist one another with foes they cannot alone defeat! Ooooohhhh! Now I feel a great need to challenge my hip and cool rival!"**

 **"What?" Jaune asked while his teammates gave the man confused looks, save for Nora, whose attention was fixated on the fight.**

 **"Guy, Kakashi doesn't have time to do any of your challenges. Not to mention that he's a whole Kingdom away," Aoba said dryly. He adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms over his chest while his teammate slumped to the ground in despair.**

 **"Drat!" Guy exclaimed.**

 **"What's Naruto doing?" Coco asked with a small frown.**

 **"An advanced form of Aura manipulation," Aoba said. He held a finger up. "In fact, a specific form that was developed by Naruto's father. Only three people to this day can manipulate their aura in such a manner, and Naruto is one of them."**

"Only three…and an idiot has to be one of them," the Schnee heiress complained, "This episode is just crazy in every sense of the word."

 **"I-It just looks like he's making a sphere around his fist," Velvet said. Fox shook his head.**

 **"It's not just that." The normally quiet team member spoke softly, his voice suave and rough all at once from not being used. Fox's white eyes were focused on the fight. "That type of manipulation, making a shape out of Aura alone, requires focus and balance, things that novices in Aura manipulation can't easily do."**

 **"Well said, Fox." Aoba nodded. "Even for those with Semblances that involve unique Aura manipulation, forming a simple shape out of pure Aura is difficult. This is why most Semblances exert control over something or physically condition the body for a short period of time."**

 **"...I bet I could do it," Coco said thoughtfully.**

"Only three people can do it now, I doubt everyone can, as Aoba explained." Ren disagreed. He rubbed his chin. "Not to mention, they somehow figured a way to manipulate their aura without making physical contact with their enemy. Naruto's father must be either a genius or a battle savant."

"Considering how he's been praised by Ozpin, I'm inclined to believe he's smart." Pyrrha noted.

"I concur." Ren nodded.

 **She nudged the auburn haired boy beside her. "And if not me, then our Foxy boy could."**

 **Fox gave his team leader a bland look. This was why he usually kept quiet. Coco got lively whenever he spoke. With a final sigh, Fox returned his gaze to Coco's self-proclaimed little brother, a newfound form of intrigue in his eye.**

 **"Fascinating," Cinder said under her breath. She'd heard of Aura Shaping being discovered and taught in Vacuo's 'hidden' schools, but that sort of expertise and skill was something she expected of the Toad Sage or the Snail Princess. To see a boy this young, two boys if you counted the sparking spear-like shape around Sasuke's hand, so adept in it was absolutely amazing.**

 **And it was potentially a problem for her plan.**

"Tell us your schemes please!" Ruby asked.

"I don't think we'll get that." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Man, bad guy perspectives are useless." The leader of RWBY pouted.

 **Cinder's eyes narrowed on the two boys. They needed to be dealt with. Soon.**

"Bitch number two better check herself." Yang frowned and held up a fist. "Before my fist wrecks itself, all over her face."

 **"Ready, Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he stood across from his childhood friend and rival.**

 **"You know it, Sasuke." Naruto returned with a grin on his face as the sphere in his hand began to sustain itself.**

 **The two launched at each other with their right hands pulled back.**

 **"It's-!"**

 **They threw their hands forward, one chirped like a thousand bird and the other had an almost mystical sound to it.**

 **"** ** _Over_** **!"**

 **The attacks collided and a dome of white light encased the two teens.**

Nora put on a pair of sunglasses, "Wow that's bright!"

Jaune blinked frantically and rubbed his eyes. "I think I'm blind!"

 **The audience was forced to shield their eyes or look away, unless they had the forethought to wear sunglasses like a certain Faunus, who shook his head in bemusement. For the brief second that the rest of the audience was blinded, Kurama saw the two friends grin at one another and bump fists. Their fight was over, their anger to one another was diminished, and their friendship restored.**

"How does fighting bring boys together?" Ruby asked in confusion.

Yang patted her head. "Boys are weird, Ruby. Simple, but weird."

The young girl agreed, she probably would never understand them.

 ** _Man, those two are such drama queens_** **, Kurama thought with a small chuckle.**

 **When the light died down, the crowd was able to see both teens standing on their last legs.**

 **Haku blinked and furrowed his brows together when he heard Kurama chuckle. He took in the state of his two other teammates and then let out his own small chuckle.**

 **Sasuke was haggard and breathing hard, and Naruto had the smallest bit of sweat pouring down the side of his face. Both had lost their grins, but had their fists together still. Both refused to back away, even though their legs wobbled uneasily beneath them. Whoever moved first was going to fall, and they knew it.**

 **Both were just too stubborn to lose, even at this point.**

"…Nope, never understand them." Ruby said again.

 **Asuma sighed after a moment.**

 **"I guess that's that," he said. "This match is a draw!"**

 **A majority of the audience let out boo's and groans of disappointment whereas a small few applauded at the show or remained absolutely silent and thoughtful.**

 **"Now... Make it official. Form the** ** _Wakai no In_** **(** ** _Seal of Reconciliation_** **)," Asuma said sternly to the two.**

 **Naruto and Sasuke carefully moved their fists back. Their index and middle fingers used in the first seal were brought up and then interlocked, with Naruto's on the top and Sasuke's on the bottom. The whiskered blond gained a grin while the raven-haired teen smiled slightly.**

 **Then, they promptly fell to their backs and passed out.**

"Aw, look at them, all tuckered out and beaten up." Nora cooed. "That's cute."

Ren had the inkling he needed to have another talk with Nora again.

 **Omake: Valley of the End**

 ** _Five Years Ago: Thirty Miles Outside of Kon Village_**

"Yes," Ruby pumped her fist, "We get to see it!"

 **"You're crazy!" A boy no older than the age of twelve called over the roars of the nearby waterfall.**

 **Wild blond hair spiked uncontrollably from his head, kept out of his bright blue eyes by a thick blue bandana. An orange jacket with a white furred collar was zipped up to protect his neck with a gaudy pair of orange trousers over his legs and blue combat like sandals protected his feet. The boy's most prominent features were the whisker-like scars he had on either cheek, currently curled down into a frown.**

"Aw, I want to pinch his little cheeks!" Yang gushed. Naruto was such a cute little kid, with a round face and big blue eyes. She might even dare say he was a close equal to Ruby's cuteness.

Ruby gave her sister a look. "You mean on his face, right?"

"Duh."

"Oh, good. You had me worried there for a second."

 **There was another boy, across the rapid waterway between them. The boy the first had yelled at. He had raven black hair that spiked up in the back, and matching black eyes that glared at the orange-clad blond who yelled at him. The dark haired boy wore a high-collared blue shirt, white shorts and armbands, and like the blond, he had blue combat ready sandals to protect his feet.**

 **"I need to do this!" The raven-haired boy shouted back. "You don't understand. You'll** ** _never_** **understand! How could you? You never** ** _had_** **parents to begin with!"**

"Wow, Sasuke was an even bigger dick when he was a kid." Jaune gaped.

"Not cool." Nora frowned deeply, Ren agreeing with her.

"Poor guy..." Yang frowned in sympathy for her other's boyfriend.

 **That struck a chord in the blond and he visibly winced. The other boy continued.**

 **"What has Kon given me? Friends? All of them are worthless children! They can't give me the strength to kill** ** _him_** **!"**

 **"...No, but they can help you stop him-!"**

 **"I don't want to stop him, Idiot! I want to kill him!"**

"…And you said my show was a boy drama." Weiss snorted.

"Man, this got super serious again, not super special awesome." Ruby pouted.

 **"Why!?"**

 **"Because that's why I'm still alive! I** ** _must_** **avenge my family!"**

 **"That's no excuse to kill somebody! What will you do after you get your 'revenge'!?"**

"Yeah!" Yang punched the air. "You tell him, Lil' Naruto!"

 **"..."**

 **"Exactly! You can't go through with this!" The blond pressed. "If you go to that damn Snake for power, you'll only end up like him! A monster in human form! You** ** _remember_** **what his lackies did to Sakura! You want to end up like someone who could do that?"**

 **"J-Just shut up, what do you know! You're an orphan! You don't have a family!"**

"Stop. Using. That. Against him." Nora scowled and sparked a little.

"Nora, take it easy." Ren said soothingly.

"But it's not fair!" The Valkyrie protested with heat.

"I know, but Naruto's not that easily rattled, so just relax."

 **"Yes I do!"**

 **That made the raven-haired boy start.**

 **"I've got a godfather! I had a grandfather! I have** ** _brothers_** **! I have** ** _sisters_** **! I have aunts and uncles! They may not see it that way, but I do! My family is larger than anyone elses, and it only keeps growing!" The blond yelled firmly. He held his fist out to the raven-haired boy and his blue eyes became hard. "I promised one of my sisters that I'd bring you back, even if I had to break every bone in your body to do so!"**

"Wow...That's a whole lot of heart." Jaune mused under his breath.

"He's so determined...he really is like the sun," Ruby said softly. The boy didn't see his situation as a bad one and treated his friends as family. He always looked on the bright side.

 **"You couldn't even leave a scratch on me!" The raven-haired boy heatedly protested.**

 **"Wanna bet?" The blond's skin began to glow.**

 **"Don't start something you can't finish!" The pack slung over his shoulders was dropped to the ground and his hands began to spark.**

 **The two boys glared at each other before they jumped from their respective banks. The blond's hands balled into fists and the onyx-eyed boy's knuckles turned white. Their right hands drew back before they were flung forward.**

 **Each fist found its mark in the respective cheek that had been targeted, and the two boys fell into the water. They burst to the surface and continued their fight, fists flying while they struggled against the current of the water that raced towards the falls.**

"Man, it's like something out of a cartoon or a video game." Ruby grinned at the young boys fighting.

"I think you like violence too much." Weiss frowned at her.

"Wh-What?! No, it's just interesting to know what happened between them is all!"

 **Finally, the raven-haired boy found a rock to kick off of and tackled the blond over the edge. They fell like rocks, the blond pounding his fist on the other boy's back before they crashed into the water below.**

 **With gasps, the two boys broke the water surface and swam to the nearby shore.**

 **They panted and coughed up water before they glared at each other.**

 **The fight began again, this time with the blond slowly gaining the advantage. His Semblance was better suited for this fight, since the other needed time to gather his.**

 **"Give up!" The blond barked after a final punch that knocked the other boy to the ground.**

"Break his legs!" Nora cheered.

 **The whiskered blond stood over his foe. "Just come home, Sasuke."**

 **Sasuke turned and glared at the blond. Before either knew what was happening, Sasuke's right hand was encased in sparks of lightning and was flying like a thrown spear at the center of the blond's chest. A second before the attack pierced the blond's skin, his left hand shot up and pushed Sasuke's hand right.**

 **There was a squelch and a gasp before what had happened really clicked in the boys' minds. Sasuke pulled his hand back and stared at the cauterized hole in the blond's chest.**

"…And they're twelve?!" Jaune exclaimed. "The hell man, that's just, who can do that?"

"Apparently them." Ren calmly told his leader.

 **"...Na-Naruto...Your lung..." Sasuke stared at the sight and then looked at his hand, covered in blood. Naruto fell to his knees and then to his side. His breathing was labored. Sasuke looked down at him, then to his bloody hand, and then back down at the struggling blond. His eyes narrowed and became cold.**

 **"Idiot." Sasuke muttered lowly. "If you didn't move it would've been quick..."**

"Now that's just bastard quality dick hood." Blake commented with a glare.

 **Naruto coughed and pressed his hand over his chest. His other hand reached out and grabbed Sasuke's leg.**

 **"...Not...dead...yet..." He protested. His eyes were becoming unfocused and lighter. "Gotta...keep...my...promise..."**

"He has a hole in his chest, and that's what matters to him…geez, what a knucklehead." Weiss sighed, but there was no heat in her voice, but a touch of respect in fact.

 **Sasuke stared indifferently down at the blond for a moment. He then looked at the hole in Naruto's back from where his hand had pierced through. His eyes went wide.**

 **Was it his eyes playing a trick on him or was the hole closing?**

 **"Cause...Naruto...Uzumaki...never...breaks...a promise!" Naruto's coughing became less between each word and the hole in his torso began to heal, along with the hole in his lung. His eyes turned gold and his skin glowed.**

"And apparently he has a healing factor. That's nice to know." Yang confessed, looking relieved. She frowned. "I wonder why there's no scar."

"Maybe that'll be answered later." Blake pointed out.

"I hope so."

 **Then Sasuke's arm was in immense pain before he was whipped at the cliff.**

 **The last thing Sasuke can remember before he fell unconscious was the hard look in Naruto's golden eyes. It wasn't just a look, but the unnatural forgiveness transferred along with it made Sasuke's eyes widen slightly. There were unsaid words along with the forgiveness, and those words, though not spoken, were the reason that Sasuke did not fight back when Naruto picked him up over his shoulders.**

 **Time to go home, Brother.**

"…Whoa." Ruby surmised everyone's thoughts.

"Now that that's over," Yang turned to look at Blake with a wide grin on her face, "Spill the goods, sister."

"Goddammit, Yang!"

* * *

 **Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XIX: Parade in Space**

"YES!" Ruby cheered with stars in her eyes. "I've _always_ wanted to go to space!"

"Yeah, but wasn't that when you were six?" Yang asked.

"The dream is still real!"

 **"This is absolutely ridiculous." Kurama mumbled as he fastened the button on his overcoat for his tuxedo. The school had delivered the suits to teams with males that morning, all as bland and identical as the next. According to the accompanying instructions on the pressed and cleaned tuxes, it was mandatory for the first portion of the dance and those who refused to conform would suffer the wrath of Professor Goodwitch.**

"She gave me an earful after my stunt." Jaune sighed and hung his head.

Pyrrha patted his shoulder. "It was very kind of you to keep your word, Jaune."

"Yeah, well, if Jaune Arc does one thing, he keeps his word." Jaune boasted with a small smile.

 **Since they had already been 'punished' by the librarian-like teacher, Team NHKS had decided to, amazingly, follow through with the instructions.**

 **There were two saving graces to the suit. The first was that Kurama could still wear his Pineley's and not get reprimanded for it. Then the second was an appropriate hole for his tail to comfortably slip through.**

 **"It isn't that bad," Haku said simply as he fixed his arm cuffs. Warm brown eyes looked over at his teammate with a smirk. "I know Velvet will like it."**

 **"Shut it, Yuki." The Faunus growled.**

 **"What I would like to know is how they got our measurements," Sasuke said under his breath as he adjusted his bowtie. His brows furrowed at his inability to get the infuriating neck accessory straight.**

"Ren can do that with one hand." Nora bragged.

Ren shrugged. "It's a talent."

 **"Yes, that is most curious..." Haku agreed as he leaned against his bed. He looked to the bathroom, where the team leader had vanished almost five minutes prior to change.**

 **"It's not like we have mandatory doctor check-up." Sasuke hummed. "Well, Naruto and I did after our fight yesterday."**

 **"I still can't believe you two came out relatively unscathed." Haku gave Sasuke a look. "Well, Naruto I can understand. He's a bit more durable."**

 **"Ooh, and a shot at the pretty-boy by the ambiguous one." Kurama chuckled.**

 **"It helps that we weren't being entirely serious." Sasuke returned.**

"Oh, so now it wasn't serious? Yeah, sure." Weiss rolled her eyes. "And I'm queen of the cookies."

"You _are_!?"

"Ruby, I was being sarcastic."

"Oh, yeah...I knew that."

 **Haku gave him a look.**

 **"Seemed pretty serious."**

 **Sasuke smirked lightly.**

 **"Please, I was mostly bored and stressed about tonight more than anything, and since I don't have the possibility of releasing that stress like I did back home –"**

 **"He means by having sex with his girlfriend," Kurama said in a stage whisper. Sasuke gave him a dull glare while Haku smiled lightly.**

 **" – I decided to fall back into old habits and antagonize the idiot." Sasuke finished, his eyes still locked on Kurama in a glare.**

"That's sort of mean, just because he didn't have a girlfriend for... _That_." Ruby flushed as her mind went to the boring lectures back at Signal.

"Sex Ruby, sex. It's okay to say the word."

"Stop talking, Yang."

 **He looked back at Haku and smirked lightly. "And like the emotional dumbass he has always been, Naruto reacted accordingly."**

 **"You two are arguably the strangest friends I've ever had to deal with." Haku drawled.**

"They make Weiss' mixed signals seem more understandable."

Weiss gave Blake a look. "I do _not_ send mixed signals."

"Yes you do." Ruby muttered under her breath. She totally thought that they were best friends – which they _were_ – but she couldn't tell if Weiss agreed with that sentiment.

 **"Then you didn't have good friends!" The boisterous claim was followed by the click of a door being closed. The three boys looked at their team leader, who was in the midst of straightening his jacket before he grinned at his friends.**

Yang's eyes became half-lidded and her lips pulled back into a small grin. "I like my present, all nice and gift wrapped. ...Ruby, I know what I want for-"

"Not in this lifetime." Blake and Weiss cut her off with firm glares. Yang pouted.

"Oh, come on! You're both quasi-dating two hunks of your own-"

"How do you quasi-date someone?" Ren asked dryly.

"Let me get mine!" Yang finished, disregarding Ren's interjection.

"No."

Yang crossed her arms over her bust and sunk down in her seat, pouting like a child.

 **Naruto clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "So, are we ready to rock, or what?"**

 **"The Foolish Hooligans are covering for us until nine –" "Why is it always nine?" Naruto's question cut Haku off. The ambiguous boy gave his team leader a small smile.**

 **"Because it's your lucky number," Kurama said with a smirk.**

 **"Fair enough." Naruto nodded. He gestured to Haku. "Continue."**

 **"Then at nine, we'll have Ozpin's speech, followed by a ten minute reprieve before we're needed on stage." Haku finished. He looked at the watch on his left wrist. "Which means if we leave now, we have only two hours to worry about mingling and dancing."**

 **"Ah, it's so nice to have a secretary to keep us in line," Sasuke said with a smirk.**

"Hm, I wonder if he wants a position as a personal assistant?" Weiss rubbed her chin in thought. "He seems to be well organized."

"Plus, you'd have something nice to look at while working." Nora added slyly.

"Yes, I wou-Hey!" Weiss turned red as her friends laughed at her.

 **"Way to stick with that librarian fetish, Sasuke."**

 **"Go chase your bunny, fox-boy."**

 **"Settle down guys," Naruto said to his teammates. He walked to the door of their room and grabbed the handle. "Let's get going before Sneeze sends an angry message. We're already a bit late."**

 **"We're late?" Haku asked.**

 **"In the eyes of a woman we are." Sasuke muttered sourly and Naruto shivered.**

The heiress nodded. "Get a move on, fools."

 **Kurama smirked.**

 **"Man, Sakura trained you two well.**

"My other might have to thank her." Yang hummed thoughtfully.

 **Glad you were both so stupid in the ways of the opposite sex that she couldn't focus her attention on me."**

 **Naruto and Sasuke laughed dryly at Kurama's joke before they left the room.**

 **"Well, it's about time you showed up, Whisker Boy," Yang said with a smirk aimed at her boyfriend. She had a surprisingly modest white dress on and her hair looked a tad more brushed than it usually was.**

"I work modest well." Yang waved off the compliment with a grin. She was talented like that.

 **A light application of makeup around her lilac eyes made them pop, thus making them the focus more than her slight cleavage, which usually was the focus, either by Yang's choice or not. Her 'popping' eyes roamed over her smartly dressed boyfriend and her grin widened.**

 **"Mm, Mama likes it when her boys dress up for her." She praised the three, as Kurama had gone to pick Velvet up like the good date he is, though her gaze remained mostly on Naruto.**

"...It is a good show, I guess." Blake mildly agreed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Sun can join the picture too. Now _that_ would be a view."

"Blake, she's trying to subvert you to her side." Weiss hissed.

"...Well, can't say it isn't working." Blake admitted with a light flush.

"Blake!" Weiss gaped while Yang grinned and held up her fingers in a victory sign.

 **The boy in question walked around the podium Yang was stationed behind and gave her a quick kiss before he took her pen and marked his team off.**

 **"Anything for my** _ **Yangel**_ **." Naruto quipped. His comment earned him a light shove from his girlfriend and a duo of groans from his teammates.**

 **"I am not standing here and listening to you two flirt. C'mon, Haku, let's go." Sasuke mumbled as he and Haku walked by the podium.**

"Yeah, you two go run away. This is our time." Yang waved the boys off and then rubbed her hands together. "And now we're alone."

"Please, you have a job to do." Weiss told her.

"Drat, you're right." Yang frowned. Curse her willingness to work for a school function!

 **"Do** _ **not**_ **call me that." Yang chuckled at Naruto's lame quip and snatched her pen back from him. Though it was amusing and earned him points for pun-use, Yang refused to be called a by such a cheesy pet name.**

"It's so cheesy the mice snatched it away." Nora laughed in agreement.

 **"Aw, but you call me Whisker Boy all the time. Not fair." Naruto pouted playfully.**

 **"Oh, you act like you don't like it, but I know you do,** _ **Whisker Boy**_ **." Yang breathed the last two words out and fluttered her eyelashes.**

 **"...That is so unfair. I need punch now. Closest thing to a cold shower I'm going to get," Naruto said sourly while Yang laughed.**

 **"You love it." She accused with a smile.**

 **"Unfortunately." Naruto sighed in false defeat and turned to walk away, only to pause and face her once more before he did. "Oh, and if anyone, guy or girl, tries anything, be sure to tell me."**

"If it's a girl, I'm sure he just wants to see it happen." Yang rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Not that I mind."

"Didn't need to hear that…" Ruby groaned.

 **"I can handle myself, you know. You don't need to defend my honor."**

 **"This isn't your honor I'm defending, it's mine. After all, what sort of man allows another being to hit on his girlfriend without retribution? It would be like taking a shot below the belt and not reacting! Simply inexcusable!" Naruto declared with an overdramatic enthusiasm that made Yang laugh.**

 **"You're scaring the guests away." Yang accused as she put her hands on Naruto's shoulders to push him away. "The sooner you're gone, the sooner more people will show up and** _ **I**_ **can get onto the dance floor to draw all eyes to me with my natural beauty and my hot accessory."**

"He is flashy enough." The blonde snickered.

"That was terrible," Ren told her.

"Meh, what does the silent guy know?"

"…I'm not that silent."

"So you're a screamer?"

Ren opened his mouth, thought about it for a moment, and then snapped his mouth shut.

Yang grinned victoriously.

 **"Using** _ **me**_ **in your scheme?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at Yang while his grin remained on his face. "You conniving attention whore, you."**

 **"And don't you forget it, Whisker Boy." Yang grinned back as she poked him in the chest.**

 **The two blondes laughed once more before Naruto made his leave. He wasn't going to have much fun until the party really got started and that would either be when Yang was relieved from podium duty or when nine o'clock rolls around, depending on which occurred first. So, deciding to follow through with quenching his thirst, Naruto made his way to the punch bowl.**

"And low and behold, who is standing there, all dressed up ever so cutely~"

"Yang, stop teasing!" Ruby pouted.

 **Awkwardly hovering around the bowl was a weakly smiling Ruby, who became, albeit slightly, visibly more uncomfortable with each person that arrived at the ballroom. She was not comfortable with her appearance, as she appeared well put together in a black and red dress, but more with the strangers that continued to walk in and begin mingling. Not for the first time, Naruto wondered how the fifteen-year-old managed among peers that were two years older than her.**

"It's hard…" Ruby laminated.

 **With his friendly smile plastered on his face, Naruto approached his girlfriend's younger sister and his fellow team leader from the side.**

"You haven't bonded with him much, sis."

Ruby looked at her sister. "Yang, why would I hang out with the guy you like?"

"Because he might be your brother-in-law, duh."

"…Dad would murder him before that happened."

Yang laughed. "Oh come on, you're exaggerating now."

 **"Is the punch any good?" He asked. Ruby didn't turn to him and tensed as she was brought from her thoughts.**

 **"Eh, its fine...Er, I mean, it's great! Um...Well –" Finally facing him made relief wash over Ruby's features, followed by a small pout when she noticed the humor in his eyes. "Naruto! That's not funny!"**

"No, it is, you're so awkwardly adorable." Weiss giggled.

Ruby turned red and whined. "No, I'm not!"

 **"I beg to differ," he said with a small chuckle as he filled a cup for himself. Naruto continued to smile lightly as Ruby pouted at him. He nudged her with his elbow as he stood at her side. "C'mon, Rubes, lighten up. It's a party, go mingle! Make some new friends, don't be the punch bowl girl."**

"It's a sad title to bare." Jaune nodded in wisdom.

 **"Ugh, now you sound like Yang** _ **and**_ **our dad!" Ruby groaned. She looked down at her punch with a small frown. "Meeting people is hard."**

 **"Well, I would say you're wrong, but we've got different personalities," Naruto said thoughtfully. Noticing that his thoughts did little to help Ruby's disposition, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alright, then go look for some old ones. Like, Blake an-"**

 **"She and Sun snuck out two minutes ago."**

"I knew it!" Yang beamed while Blake cursed under her breath.

 **The response made Naruto blink. He idly wondered what his pen pal was up to and brushed it off to continue focusing on the problem at hand.**

 **"...Okay, then why not go find Weiss-?"**

 **"Is busy obsessing over the tables' flowers and her doilies."**

 **"...Humph, doilies..." Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stared off in the distance.**

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Oh, he does he want to go? Bring it on!"

Ruby shivered. No one mocked Weiss' doilies, no one.

 **Ruby snickered at his reaction, snapping him from his far off stare. "Okay, so your teammates ditched you. Been there. What about Jaune?"**

"I happen to be getting my dress fitted."

"…It is weird that he sounds so proud about it?" Ruby asked.

"Of course not." Blake disagreed, "Jaune simply has different tastes."

"Uh, no, it was a bet you see-"

"Jaune, we support your decisions, no matter how strange they are to us." Weiss agreed wholeheartedly.

Jaune felt like crying.

 **"I actually haven't seen him or the rest of his team yet," Ruby said quietly. She fidgeted with her paper cup and looked up at Naruto curiously. "Can we not talk about my poor people skills?"**

 **"You know, evading a problem is the same as running from it."**

 **"...Now you sound like my Uncle Qrow..." Ruby narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What are you?"**

 **"Smartass, Delinquent, Leader, Philanthropist." Naruto quickly replied before he took a sip of his punch.**

"What was that last one," Weiss paused, "No, no he is not, that's a lie!"

"So the others are true?"

Weiss snorted her disagreement.

 **He noted the stare that Ruby gave him when he mentioned the last one. "What? My parents didn't leave me broke, far from it, actually. I donated most of it to the orphanage where I grew up and others across Vacuo once it was given to me on my sixteenth birthday. The rest is in the stock market. I could be a billionaire today and homeless tomorrow.**

Weiss' eye twitched dangerously.

"You were saying~?" Yang sang, happy that her boy had cash and smoking looks.

"Not another word from you!"

 **Not that it matters to me, I've already paid for enrollment for Kurama and myself. Besides, I've always wanted to be a Huntsman."**

 **"...You're rich?" Ruby asked.**

 **"Technically," Naruto said with another shrug. "Not on the level that Sneeze is, but I'm not too bad. Don't care about it, really. Only thing that Lien is good for is helping others. I use mine for buying ammo, jackets and ramen."**

"Does that mean other me and Naruto will see Weiss at some uppity cocktail parties?"

Weiss looked ready to have a meltdown at any second. Yang's suggestions were not helping, at all.

 **"But...But what about the whole money for pictures thing?!" Ruby asked. She saw the Lien symbol in his eye. Figuratively, of course, she didn't literally see it. That would be silly.**

 **"Like I've always said: more money means more ramen." Naruto grinned at Ruby. "I'm** _ **always**_ **up for more ramen."**

"A waste, all that Lien for-"

"Charity?" Blake pointed out to Weiss. The heiress faltered and crossed her arms.

"Okay, that's all well and good but what about the rest of it? For noodles?!"

"A man loves his noodles." Jaune nodded sagely.

"Be quiet, you-you drag queen!"

 **"And his parents refused to let him use his inheritance for that." The baritone voice made the two teens turn to see Asuma, dressed in a nice tux as well as lacking his usual cigarette, and Kurenai's arm looped in his. The red-eyed beauty was** _ **stunning**_ **, her wavy raven black hair flowed curtained down to the back of her shoulders, and she wore a primarily dark red dress that showed a lot of back.**

"…Hot damn!" Yang whistled at the sight of Kurenai.

"She could double as a model." Ruby agreed.

Jaune and Ren were a bit busy crossing their legs and picking up their jaws.

 **"...I like to keep that part to myself." Naruto muttered. "Besides, they** _ **both**_ **loved the noodle goodness that was Ramen. They knew it would continue on. The love of Oum's Noodles in the Uzumaki blood is too strong to be diluted by outsiders!"**

 **"Which is why they put that specific in their will, Naruto. You know if given the chance you would've blown it all on a Ramen stand when you were younger," Asuma said with a smirk.**

 **"Damn right I would!" Naruto mumbled as he lifted his cup up to his mouth. "Still would, too..."**

"Save it babe, we'll need it." Yang said sternly.

"You sound so sure of it." Blake mumbled.

"I believe in the OTP!"

 **Kurenai shook her head and looked at Ruby. "I'm not surprised you don't know more about his parents, Ruby. They're heroes in Vacuo, but unknown to all that they haven't helped in the rest of Remnant. I always thought it odd, because they chose to attend Beacon as well. You'd think Ozpin would promote such a thing."**

 **"Yes, because 'Beacon, school to Vacuo's Bloody Death and Thunder God' has such a lovely ring to it." Naruto mumbled under his breath.**

"…Okay those are some awesome titles." Yang blinked in surprise of her sadly deceased possible in-laws.

"It might turn a few people away." Blake agreed.

"But Thunder God? I wonder what he could do." Ruby concentrated her thoughts with a knitted brow. "Lightning?"

"No, that's Sasuke's thing."

"Hmm..."

 **"Point to the blondie." Asuma nodded.**

 **"Bloody Death?" Ruby asked, her mind spinning.**

 **"Mom's nickname. Personally, I like Vacuo's titles more: The Red-Hot Blooded Habanero!" Naruto grinned. "Throw in Dad's moniker, The Yellow Flash, and you get me: The Orange Titan!"**

 **"One thing Pop was good at was dishing out nicknames during the Hidden Mid-Class Tournament." Asuma smiled fondly, his gaze clouded as he became lost in memory. Ruby's eyes sparkled.**

 **"A title...That's so cool!" The younger Beacon freshman pouted jealously. "All I got in Signal were a few good grades and a ribbon for the weapon craft contest."**

"I know, it's so super lame. I want a title," Ruby said, playing with her cape. "Maybe ...the Red Reaper!"

"Nah, you're not that cool yet." Yang teased.

"I'm cool!"

"Not on that level yet, Rubes."

 **"Well, like Sun said, Vacuo's not really a shirt and tie kind of place," Naruto said. Kurenai groaned while Asuma nodded in agreement.**

 **"Don't remind me. It took me all of yesterday evening – after we assured Professor Ozpin that you and Sasuke** _ **wouldn**_ **'** _ **t**_ **start anything–" Kurenai gave Naruto a look of warning that he shrunk under slightly. "To convince this lug to put on his tuxedo."**

 **"And not smoke. I hate tuxedoes almost as much as I hate nicotine patches." Asuma grumbled and reached up to rub his arm, only for Kurenai to slap his hand away.**

"He is so whipped." Jaune said, was this just a sad fact for all men everywhere?

"It is the way of the world, Jaune." Nora told him.

"Well, I declare war on this tyrannical certainty!"

"Yeah, good luck with that." Weiss snorted in amusement. Many a man had tried before.

 **"Stupid monkey suits...Almost as bad as doilies." Naruto glared down into his drink before he sighed. "The things we do for the ladies we care for."**

 **"So much sacrifice, not enough victory." Asuma nodded in agreement once again. Kurenai gave him an amused smirk.**

 **"So, you would prefer to win more often?" she asked.**

"Pick your words carefully." Ren said with caution. "That is a landmine."

 **"...Oh, look, Pete wants a word." Asuma deflected and began to lead Kurenai away. He looked back at Naruto and Ruby with a quick wave while Kurenai laughed. "See you later kids!"**

"...Smart man." Ren nodded.

 **"Bye." Ruby waved awkwardly while Naruto snorted and took a drink from his punch. The silver-eyed girl looked back at the older teen. "Why'd he do that? Professor Port isn't over there."**

 **"It was an escape tactic. I personally would've gone with the compliment to intellect method, but he might've overused it." Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "I should start to mix it up a bit, can't be too flirty. And maybe get a real date set up..."**

 **"Am I really the one you should be talking to about this?" Ruby asked.**

"Yes he should." Yang told Ruby.

"But I don't want to hear it!" Ruby fiddled with her fingers. "It's awkward."

" _You're_ awkward."

"Which makes it even more awkward!"

 **"Well, you are technically the second most important figure in your sister's life whose approval I have to get." Naruto explained. He grimaced. "Still have to meet your dad..."**

 **"And our Uncle Qrow."**

"Ten Lien says they hit it off like nothing else," Ruby said dryly.

"That's a suckers bet." Yang snorted and then grinned. Qrow's support would help keep her dad at bay.

 **Ruby added. "And Zwei."**

 **"...Who is Zwei?"** _ **And why do I feel like that name will be used against me in future arguments with the bastard? Particularly where my intelligence is concerned.**_

"Because you have the attention span of a mutt." Weiss huffed. "Even then, I feel Zwei is far smarter."

"Wow, you really love Zwei, huh Weiss?"

Weiss smiled daintily at Ruby's words. "He's just so cute."

 **"He's our dog." Ruby pouted slightly. "I miss Zwei."**

 **"Well, there's no rule that says no pets on campus..." Naruto trailed off as his gaze fell on his Faunus teammate as he walked past with Velvet, the rabbit-eared girl clad in what could only be described as a lovely and modest dress that matched her namesake. The sight of the two Faunus made him recall an event long since past.**

 **"On second thought, probably not a good idea. Kurama doesn't really get along well with dogs..."**

"I agree with that." Blake said sourly.

"But Zwei loves you, Blake!"

"Keep that mongrel away from me, Yang, I swear!"

 **"What do you mean?" Ruby asked the older boy.**

 **"Probably shouldn't say anything," Naruto said lowly. He cleared his throat slightly and nodded to the couple that caught his eye. Ruby turned and smiled widely at the sight.**

 **"Aww, they look so cute!"**

 **"I withhold all opinions until Velvet manages to do what others couldn't and stick around for longer than a week." Naruto mused. The corner of his lips pulled up into a smile when Ruby looked at him. "But, between the two of us, I think the fox and hare make a match. And if Velvet asks, I will give any and all help...even if it means blackmailing Kurama."**

"Now that'd I'd pay to see," Weiss said with an evil gleam in her eyes.

"Whoa, Weiss has her fangs out."

"…Not funny, Yang."

 **A pointer finger and thumb grabbed onto Naruto's cheek in a tight pinch. The whiskered blond glowered as the familiar face of Coco Adel stood at his side and wiggled the flesh in her grasp. She wore an auburn colored dress that showed a generous amount of her left leg, matching gloves and heels as well as a few pearl necklaces.**

"Wow, one beauty walks the runway." Ruby said in awe.

"I look better." Yang frowned.

 **Beside her was an apologetically smiling, and very well dressed, Fox Alistair. Fox gave Naruto a small shrug and then turned to the side in order to pour himself some punch.**

 _ **Freaking traitor...**_ **Naruto thought bitterly while his eye squinted in discomfort.** _ **Or, is he a brilliant tactician...?**_

"He's brilliant obviously, who wants to get on Coco's bad side." Jaune asked, still remembering how she cut down those Nevermores like they were nothing.

 **"Aw, now isn't that sweet?" Coco cooed with a smile as she tortured the teen she declared her younger brother. "Seems like Blondie trained you so well."**

 **"Coco, you have three seconds to let go of my face or I** _ **will**_ **destroy your closet and everything within." Naruto warned his.**

"…That was the dumbest thing to say to Coco, of all time." Weiss deadpanned.

Pyrrha, who wasn't as materialistic as the others, agreed. "There are some things that are sacred."

 **He grimaced as the pinch became harder and the cheek was pulled further.**

 **"Would you care to repeat yourself, Naruto? I thought something stupid came out of your mouth." Coco's sweet smile became tighter and her brown eyes narrowed slightly.**

 **"Ow! Coco, let go!"**

 **"That doesn't sound like an apology..."**

 **"Sorry! Sorry! I won't do anything to your clothes, now will you please let me go?" He was starting to lose feeling in his cheek.**

 **"That's what I thought." Coco released Naruto's cheek and smiled at Ruby. "So, who's this then? Another little girlfriend I should know about? The scandal!"**

"I don't know, they do say two is better than one…"

"YANG!" Ruby turned an illuminating red.

"What? Sisters share, and you aren't really making the effort to try and find a boy toy either."

Weiss sighed, "I think she just passed out." She pointed to her lobster-faced partner, who had swirling eyes.

"Oh, man she really needs to take a joke." Yang said with a pout. She still had some steamy material to use!

 **Ruby, who had been giving Naruto a sympathetic glance, became the same color as her hood while the blond in question rolled his eyes and rubbed his cheek.**

 **"Yep. You got me, Coco. I'm cheating on Yang with her younger sister. Right in the middle of this ballroom." The dry manner in which Naruto spoke did little to lessen the red in Ruby's cheeks.**

"So she was considering it." Yang hummed.

"Not really." Blake and Weiss told her in Ruby's stead.

 **"Wha-! No! Ignore everything he's saying!" Ruby frantically waved her hands in front of her. "We're not-I would never! I mean, not that you're not a bad guy, but you're like Yang! It'd be like dating my brother!"**

 **"Well, I can't be too sure. You know what they say: Incest is-Mmph!" Coco's mouth was covered by Fox's hand. His white eyes closed and he sighed while Naruto tried not to laugh as Ruby's face darkened even further.**

"She also brings up a good point." Yang agreed.

"Please, stop the nightmare." Ruby begged as she was half conscious now.

 **"Sorry. Coco, let's go dance." Fox rumbled lowly as he set his cup down and pulled his team leader-slash-date towards the dance floor. The brunette turned back and gave Naruto and Ruby a wink before she took the lead.**

 **"...I still can't figure out if they're together or not." Naruto hummed with pursed lips. His pride in his people reading skills took a** _ **huge**_ **blow at the admission. With Fox's mute tendency and his stoic personality it was hard to get a read on him, and Coco was usually either flirting or teasing him. Unfortunately for Naruto, it was usually the latter.**

 **"What was she going to say?" Ruby asked, her brows furrowed in confusion as her cheeks cooled.**

"Oh Rubes, you are so dense." Yang giggled.

"Uwa?" Ruby was still trying to process something things in her mind.

 **"...Huh, would you look at that. Time to go dance with Yang. Later Rubes, try not to be the punch bowl girl." Naruto quickly walked away before he had to explain the saying to his girlfriend's younger sister. He knew that Ruby would pursue the subject until it was answered, and he noticed Jaune on his way over. Deciding to let his fellow team leaders bond over their social-awkwardness,**

"I am not socially awkward!" Jaune protested.

"...Barf Boy."

"Oh come on!"

 **Naruto was confident that it was an appropriate moment to make his escape.**

 **"So you managed to develop that with your semblance just to keep your team leader in check?" Scarlet, the redheaded member of team SSSN, asked Haku.**

 **The androgynous boy had nearly stumbled into Scarlet completely when Cardin brushed by him. The bully had regained a bit of his confidence in the small time that Naruto had been distract-er, refocused his attention from keeping the egotistical members of CRDL in check to more personal issues, such as his newfound and budding relationship with the powerhouse of Team RWBY.**

"I'm a _what_?" Yang glared at the screen, hands on her hips.

 **And no, Haku was** _ **not**_ **about to call Yang a distraction for Naruto, far from it!**

"Damn right girly boy."

Blake just looked at her partner in horrid fascination at how she did that.

 **Though maybe there was still a bit too much newlywed romance for Haku's taste. And perhaps a little less drama would be preferred, especially when it was Naruto's own fault. Then again, Haku wanted normalcy after what had occurred prior to his enrollment to Beacon.**

 **But still, was so much affection really normal between two people?**

"It's nice." The blonde huffed in protest. "I wear my heart on my sleeves!"

 **Then again, Haku never had a meaningful relationship with a member of the opposite sex since his early years in school (ah, to be young, puppy love...thank God he grew out of that) and just looking had been working fine for him. It does beg the question of what type of girl Haku would be attracted to...whom he'd wish to settle down with-**

 **Banishing the thoughts of 'what ifs' and 'would bes' from his mind, Haku kept his polite smile in place as he answered the other teen's question.**

Blake pouted. Now she wanted to know more. Her inner romantic demanded it.

 **"Well, Scarlet, wouldn't you if it meant you could've kept Sun from vanishing?" Haku asked. The look on the redheaded boy's face said it all and Haku chuckled lightly.**

 **"You seriously have** _ **no**_ **idea what kind of Hell we were put through by our teachers when we realized he stowed away on that ship." Scarlet rubbed his face with his right hand and sent a sour, one-eyed glare over to the back of Sun's head. The Faunus was ignorant of the stare, too busy laughing with Blake at something that Neptune said.**

"Hey, he did well at stowing away."

Weiss scoffed at Blake. "Of course you would say that."

Blake turned a slight shade of pink. "Shut up."

 **The redheaded teen turned back to his androgynous acquaintance.**

 **"You wouldn't be willing to share that secret power, would you?"**

 **Haku laughed softly and Scarlet sighed.**

 **"Didn't think so." He looked up and crossed his arms. "So, what prompted you to develop it?"**

 **"My team's leader, who I cannot find and now worry he may have gotten a tad too bored..." Haku scoured the guests for that familiar and hard-to-miss mop of unruly blond hair to no avail. Well, wonderful, now he had to find the lovable idiot before someone exploded and/or spontaneously turned purple.**

"I'd rather it be orange, but that's just me." Yang shrugged with a smirk.

"Oh dear god, what has come to the world?" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Love? Happiness? Oh, oh! Chaos!" Nora gleefully answered.

"That was a rhetorical question."

"And I gave a rhetorical answer, duh."

 **"Has a passion for pranks. I developed the 'looking glass' in secret at first, then showed it to my teammates, but not Naruto. He discovered it after his venture for his next prank went south."**

 **"How'd it go bad?" Scarlet's question made Haku lose some color in his already pale skin. His eyes glazed over slightly and a tremble went over his form. A loud laugh belonging to the hammer-wielding member of Team JNPR made Haku snap out of his stupor.**

 **"In respect for the polite company and atmosphere, I'm afraid I'll have to reveal that at a...later time." Haku coughed awkwardly and looked over at the punch, where Ruby and Jaune were hovering. "Er, excuse me, Scarlet, I'm feeling a bit parched."**

 **"Uh-huh...I expect to get an answer soon, Haku." Scarlet frowned slightly while the androgynous teen walked away. "Crap, he can totally spy on whoever he wants...I gotta warn the others about that."**

"Yeah, he's a total voyeur, he totally watches in on us." Yang pouted.

"I doubt Haku would do that." Weiss argued.

"You just want his prettiness all to yourself."

"Stop talking about that!"

 **"Well, don't you two look cozy."**

 **Kurama frowned at his partner's approach to the table that he and Velvet had sat down at, a bit away from the rest of the dance's guests. A few students from Atlas had gotten very close to pushing Kurama's buttons one too many times and Velvet, being older and wiser than her date, managed to pull him away before a fight broke out. Granted, it wasn't because of her doubt in Kurama's abilities, but because of the effects of such an incident would tarnish Beacon's Faunus friendly reputation.**

Weiss sighed at this. "People can honestly be so rude."

"At least Velvet is keeping him on a tight leash." Yang said wolfishly.

Blake gave her a dry look. "That was terrible."

"Psh, that was gold!"

 **Not that it was secure with Team CRDL and biased older students still around, but the fact still stands that Beacon was still notably the Faunus friendly school.**

 **Begs the question as to why Sun went to Mistral instead, doesn't it?**

 **Elsewhere, a perverted old hermit sneezed and grimaced when he looked up from his peephole to find his inspiration had snuck up behind him. The Toad Sage grimaced as the beautiful towel-clad women descended on him. He really shouldn't have taken the detour to the hot spring and just went straight to Ozpin's silly little 'Let's All Be Friends' party.**

"Vengeance!" Weis raised her fist in the air.

"Down with the pervert!" Ruby joined Weiss. Blake, Pyrrha, and Nora just raised their fists as well.

Yang just shrugged, the guy sounded interesting to her.

 **Pessimistic, yes, but when one was born and raised in Vacuo during the 'warring' years, pessimism was the norm.**

 _ **Plus**_ **, he thought as a foot nailed him in the jaw.** _ **Could've run into Naruto by now. Catch up, kick his ass, and see if he's gotten a girlfriend yet. If yes, new material to use hehehe, and if not, well, maybe he'd be up for a trip to the Red Light Dis-**_ **"NOT THERE! THE FACE! HIT ME IN THE FACE!"**

"…I might be in porn?" Yang asked, stunned at the revelation.

"See, Yang? This is not good for you, or the world!" Weiss nodded feverously.

"Aw, yeah!" Yang pumped her fist into the air. "My smokin' bod will be immortalized!"

The heiress just palmed her face.

 **Then again, maybe it doesn't. Perhaps Mrs. Wukong is simply a wise woman.**

 **"N-Nice to see you, Sasuke." Velvet smiled at her date's teammate. "W-Where's your date?"**

 **"Prince Charming here didn't get one." Kurama cut in with a small smirk. "That's, what, two events now that you've gone without a date since you and Sakura broke up?"**

 **"...You're a dick, Kurama." Sasuke glowered at his partner.**

 **"And you're an asshole." Kurama countered with a shrug. He smirked and arched a brow over his sunglasses. "I guess we're a good pair, if a bit difficult to work together."**

 **"I never said you were a huge one."**

"Shots fired!" Nora called out.

 **"Nor did I say you were a loose one."**

"Ew." Ruby blanched.

 **"K-Kurama! S-Sasuke!" Velvet finally managed to cut in, her cheeks red at their vulgarity. The two teens looked at her and she mustered up a glare. "Language!"**

 **Kurama and Sasuke stared at Velvet before the latter snorted. Kurama tried to conceal his smirk with his hand and ultimately turned his head away. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut as his mouth turned upwards into a smile. Kurama's shoulders trembled and his hand hiding his smirk curled into a fist. A beat passed and Velvet hadn't dropped her 'menacing' glare.**

"…I want to hug her." Ruby said with a smile, Velvet was so cute!

 **The two partners lost it.**

 **"Oh my god!" Sasuke's laughter was concealed by the various other conversations going on around the ballroom. Velvet's cheeks darkened further and she crossed her arms over her chest.**

 **"A-And j-just** _ **what**_ **is so funny?" Velvet asked, stuttering due to her slight embarrassment.**

 **"Vel, stop glaring...I can't handle it." Kurama pleaded through his own laughter. "You look too cute."**

"See? See? You just want to snuggle her!" Ruby totally agreed with Kurama.

 **That certainly made Velvet loose her 'evil' eye and her cheeks practically glowed red. She shrunk away from the laughing duo and began to fiddle with her hands. Velvet wasn't used to this much interaction with people who weren't her teammates, and curse Coco for trying to get her to branch out. The rabbit-eared Faunus did** _ **not**_ **do well in crowds or social environments, especially when the social environment involved the opposite sex. Kurama thought she was cute, was she supposed to respond? Complement him? This is why Velvet both hated and loved her team leader: Coco was** _ **adamant**_ **that she learn how to deal with boys on her own, but the problem was Velvet could barely hold a conversation with them, let alone flirt!**

"Poor Velvet," Blake said, trying to frown, but could only smile. Maybe she should try to hang out with her more often. Possible help her out of her shell.

 **Thankfully, her nerves were quelled when her date quickly recomposed himself and placed his hand over hers.**

 **"Vel, relax." Kurama smiled at her. "We're not making fun of you. Well, a little, but c'mon...You just don't have the face for glaring."**

 **Velvet smiled back timidly and her eyes drifted down to Kurama's hand over hers. Larger, a tad more callused, strong and oh so masculine, a lot like Kurama himself...Velvet's cheeks heated up a bit. Okay, so maybe Coco left a bit of a mark on her. Her eyes quickly looked back up to Kurama's sunglasses (damned things made it hard to tell where he was looking, and the fact that that didn't make Velvet angry or annoyed was in itself annoying and a tad bit worrying). She could see the faint outline of his pupil, locked with hers. His hand tightened slowly over hers and her smile became a bit braver.**

 **"...I swear to God, if you start to call each other cutesy nicknames I'm going to puke."**

"And just like that, Sasuke dumped ice over the mood." Nora said, making a fart noise, "Boo! Duck butt you fail! Fail hard!"

"It really did, it was going so nice." Blake agreed with a small frown. She was sure that a kiss could have happened, too!

 **Sasuke's amused comment broke the Faunus' locked gaze. Kurama turned and audibly growled at him. Velvet was surprised when she noted that his cheeks were a tad pink.**

 _ **He's so cute when he's flustered**_ **. The stray thought was quick as it went through Velvet's head, but it was not argued with. The rabbit-eared girl gained a small, quick pout when Kurama's hand retreated from hers.**

 **"I'll give you something to puke over-!"**

 **Velvet sighed and watched with an amused smile as the two friends began another banter. Her cheeks heated only slightly due to their vulgarity, but thankfully it was not as embarrassing as the last. Velvet heard a soft whistle to her left and glanced away, her eyes quickly finding the source of the sound in her team leader. Coco winked at her before she looked back at Fox while they danced together to the music.**

"Good idea, Coco." Yang nodded in agreement.

Ruby knitted her brow. "What idea?"

"You didn't see the signals?" Weiss asked.

"What signals?"

Blake sighed. "We really have to get you up to speed on social cues."

"What are you people talking about?!" Ruby threw her hands in the air.

 **"Yeah, well, at least I've got a dance partner." Kurama's growl brought Velvet's attention back to him and Sasuke. Her hand was taken in his again, though a firm grip it was still done gently, and he rose. His attention turned to her. "Dance?"**

 **Whatever Sasuke said must have really ruffled his feathers if he had to ask crudely. Then again, her date was younger and quite possibly just as inexperienced in this sort of interaction as she was. The faint blush still present in Kurama's cheeks confirmed Velvet's theory and she rose with him, a smile on her face as she did.**

 **"S-Sure."**

"I'm really rooting for them." Pyrrha smiled, it was a cute scene.

"Same." Blake agreed.

 **A few hours had passed and the clock had finally struck nine. Naruto regrettably left Yang's side when Haku appeared next to them when Ozpin began his speech. It was regrettable only due to the fact that the buxom minx had managed to tease him into a blush – she caught him off guard with a very suggestive innuendo – and he'd been unable to get her back for it. Yet.**

 **A prankster's war never ends.**

"Ha, prepare for a losing battle, babe."

 **Especially when it is conducted with a significant other who also partakes in the art of vengeful/humiliating surprise.**

 **"Can I have five minutes? I just need five minutes to get payback!" Naruto hissed as he and Haku met up with Sasuke and Kurama backstage. "Freaking Ozpin cut me off and my line was going to make her knees weak!"**

Yang scoffed. "Please, I'd have to have spiked punch for your liens to work on my indomitable will of Flirt-etude!"

"That's a word." Ruby corrected her.

"If Whisker Boy has Ninja-tude, I have Flirt-etude!"

 **"...Was it the 'arms heavy, Oum's spaghetti' bit?" Sasuke asked. Kurama groaned and Naruto grinned confidently while Haku looked between them in confusion.**

 **"Do I want to-?"**

 **"No, trust me." Kurama held his hand up and shook his head. "It's not worth it. I don't even know how it works, but good God does it work."**

Yang furrowed her brow. "That makes absolutely no sense."

"Yet." Blake told her.

 **"I was going to use the 'talented tongue and magic fingers' line," Naruto said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But now that I think about it...maybe the arm spaghetti line is better...considering my adversary's own talented tongue."**

"And I've been mentally scarred. Again." Ruby blandly noted.

Yang reached over to pat her shoulder. "Any time sis!"

Blake on the other hand was oddly intrigued.

 **"Too much information. Way too much." Sasuke groaned as he began to undress, Kurama and Haku doing the same. Naruto shrugged in return and did the same as the rest of his team.**

 **They hung their jackets on the rack nearby and revealed that underneath their dress shirts and pants was another layer clothing. Naruto wore (naturally) an orange muscle shirt, with Kurama also donning a muscle shirt, though he wore neon pink. The Faunus wore it in stride, since it wasn't a terrible color for a male to wear and he was comfortable enough with his masculinity to wear it. Sasuke and Haku both had turtle-necked long sleeves, with the former's a neon blue and the latter's neon green.**

"And now they are color coordinated, curiouser and curiouser." Yang nodded, curling an imaginary mustache.

"They better do well." Weiss frowned. Her event planning reputation was on the line.

 **Thankfully, the shirts were not just the bright color, and had some dark patches to them. Naruto and Kurama both had grey-ish bars up their sides and around their necks, while Haku and Sasuke had black designs strewn throughout the shirts. Beneath their dress pants were jeans, skinny in Sasuke's case and ripped as well as vandalized in Naruto's, that were masterfully hidden by the four boys.**

 **Changing out of the dress shoes were a must, though, since none of the four were comfortable in the damned, toe-constricting things.**

 **"Damn, we look stupid..." Kurama chuckled as he looked over himself and the rest of his team. "Then again, considering who thought this up..."**

 **"Hey, it fits the song, man...besides, people could always use more color in their life!" Naruto grinned.**

"I like colors, bright colors for all!" Nora agreed. "We could use more pink, yellow, and orange in our lives."

"I agree with two thirds of that sentence." Yang nodded cheerfully.

 **He grinned wider, if possible, as Ozpin wrapped his monologue up. "Showtime."**

 **"Well, if we can't beat him, might as well kick his ass afterwards." Sasuke suggested.**

 **"Fair enough. At least my eyes are concealed. Some of my identity is protected..."**

"I think the tail is a give away." Blake pointed out, "Then again, I might just leave him to his delusions."

 **"Fuck you, Kurama."**

 **"Pass, but thanks for the offer, Sasuke."**

 **"Shut up. We're on." Naruto walked through the curtain with Haku behind him as the DJs dimmed the lights. Murmurs broke through the crowd as the four teammates got situated on the stage once the DJs' relocated themselves a bit to the back. At Naruto's signal, the lights slowly came back on, but multicolored and reflecting off of the icy white theme that Weiss had originally planned. It looked like a kaleidoscope had engulfed the ballroom.**

Blake looked nervous.

"I don't think you'll be mind screwed this time, Blake."

The Faunus gave her partner an annoyed look. "Thank you for reassuring me."

Yang threw an arm around her shoulders and whispered. "I am here for you."

"...Let go."

"Okay, but keep it in mind."

 **"Hello ladies, gentlemen, Faunus and Human alike!" Naruto greeted the crowd boisterously from where he stood center stage behind a large keyboard. Sasuke was making a final adjustment to his bass on the left, Kurama gave his guitar a few test strums on the right and Haku was looking over his drum set behind them. Naruto continued despite the mutters of disbelief. "You might already know two of us as the uh, rambunctious guys who knocked each other out yesterday. We are Team NHKS of Beacon, and we would like to cordially welcome you...In song!"**

 **Stares were given to them and Naruto chuckled.**

 **"I'm kidding, this is just something we whipped up before we hired the Foolish Fools, who by the way, are local...I think."**

"How did they get the Foolish Fools?! They said no when I tried to hire them!" Weiss gaped indignantly.

"Maybe they're just better at negotiations?" Ruby suggested in an effort to make Weiss feel better.

It didn't make Weiss feel better at all.

 **Naruto looked at the helmeted duo. "Come on, take the helmets off!"**

 **They shook their heads.**

 **"Well, can't say I didn't try." Naruto turned back to the crowd as scattered laughter filled the air. He smiled. "Well, we don't want to take up too much time, this is just a couple of guys being idiots, so...Hope you enjoy it!"**

Blake plugged her ears, just for security reasons.

Yang put her hands over her bow.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

 **The blond turned to Kurama, who nodded and began to strum as Haku drummed. Naruto and Sasuke leaned into their microphones to vocalize while their instruments joined in. The Foolish Fools in the back began to run the lights, making the ballroom's colorful lighting spin and dance to the beat. The whiskered blond broke the vocal and began to sing, his voice soothing to his audience.**

 **"** _ **Coming up slowly / Oh, sun over the hill / Daylight's still a long time coming / But I know it will. Been under spell / Oh, but we're coming awake / So we'll be rude / we'll be loud.**_ **" Naruto grinned and sought out his fellow Vacuo natives, who cheered in agreement. "** _ **As long as it takes.**_ **"**

 **Naruto and Kurama stopped playing while Haku and Sasuke continued. The whiskered blond brought his microphone closer and pointed out at the audience.**

 **"** _ **And this is why, this is why / We crank the dial to the right / Oo this is why we're biting the bullet / we know the kids are right.**_ **" Naruto's eyes shut as his finger shot over to Sasuke. "Sing!"**

"For an amateur band, they really know how to get a beat going." Jaune said, swaying in his seat, humming along. Pyrrha's head was also bobbing to the melody.

Nora was too busy having her eyes glued to all the twisting colors. Hehe, they made her feel dizzy.

"A nice melody." Ren mused.

Ruby was bouncing in her seat, eyes wide. She _loved_ music. Especially fun music!

"...You're missing out," Yang said to Blake.

Blake kept her ears plugged.

Weiss pursed her lips. "It's...Decent."

 **Naruto and Kurama joined back in as the blond and Sasuke sang the next bit together. The lights began to flash through the four primary colors Team NHKS currently wore. The individuals in the crowd didn't know when they started to dance, and they didn't care. The music was good and the four teens were obviously enjoying themselves, making it an even more fun experience for the crowd.**

 **"** _ **Oo-eoo-ooh / Different colors / Oo-eoo-ooh / We carry each other / Oo-eoo-ooh / We're just different colors!**_ **" Sasuke backed away from his mic as Naruto continued, the two dancing as they played. "** _ **This is why we're biting the bullet / We know the kids are right.**_ **"**

 **Naruto pulled back and took a brief millisecond to take in the crowd's joy and the good atmosphere before he went onto the next verse with a smile on his face.**

 **"** _ **We keep cranking the music up / Driving through our towns.**_ **" A holographic image of the White Fang and Fourth War's symbols appeared beside Naruto. "** _ **But they don't wanna hear / They want us to turn it down.**_ **"**

 **Naruto stopped playing once again and held his hands out to the ballroom.**

 **"** _ **So come on, lovers / Come on, haters / Tonight we raise the fire!**_ **" The whiskered blond's hands rose up and then came back down to the keyboard. "** _ **Cause when the people get to dancing / They forget about taking sides**_ **."**

 **Students from across the four kingdoms were clapping and dancing together, showing his words rang true. Asuma and Kurenai whistled and cheered from their place in the back while Guy sobbed into a laughing Aoba's shoulder. Sun had dragged Blake into the crowd of dancers, the two Faunus smiling widely together. Naruto had to do a double take when he saw Jaune and Pyrrha dancing together, with the former in a dress that he got from who knows where.**

Team RWBY looked at Jaune. The boy crossed his arms and did his best not to blush.

"I have my sources."

 **Ren and Nora joined in and a circle formed around the team as they danced together.**

 **His smile still in place Naruto began the chorus once more with Sasuke.**

 **"** _ **This is why, this is why / We crank the dial to the right / This is why we're biting the bullet / We know the kids are right.**_ **" Naruto grinned and pointed up as he and the crowd unanimously shouted. "Sing!"**

 **"** _ **Oo-eoo-ooh / Different colors!**_ **" Naruto, Sasuke, Haku and the dance's attendees sang together. "** _ **Oo-eoo-ooh / We carry each other / Oo-eoo-ooh / We're just different colors! This is why we're biting the bullet / We know the kids are right.**_ **"**

 **The music dwindled slightly and Kurama took hold of his microphone.**

 **"For every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction..." His words echoed at the will of the Foolish Fools and the holographic symbols of the terrorist cells clashed together to explode in a rain of sparks.**

"And now a fun event becomes a political message, subtle." Yang sighed. Can't they just have fun?

"It's important to know why we are together and what we have to stand together now." Ren said.

"Huh, when did that soap box get in here?" Weiss idly wondered.

"I don't see it like that," Nora said. She tilted her head and grinned. "They've gotten rid of the shadow looming over our shoulders for the moment, telling us to forget our problems and just enjoy ourselves."

"...I like Nora's reasoning better." Ruby decided.

"Ditto." The two blondes in the room nodded.

 **The lights died down and Kurama backed away from his mic as Naruto detached his from the stand.**

 **"** _ **We're coming awake,**_ **" Naruto's voice was soft and the crowd focused on him as he walked to the edge and crouched eyes looked through the many faces, lighting up as they fell on the few familiar ones he knew. "** _ **Out of your spell / As long as it takes / We're coming awake...**_ **"**

 **The whiskered blond slowly rose up from his crouch, his grin slowly returning with the beat and the lights.**

 **"** _ **Oh, we're coming awake / Outta your spell / As long as it takes / We're coming awa-a-ake!**_ **" The music ceased entirely as Naruto stood upright and faced the crowd with the mic in hand. "** _ **And this is why / this is why / we crank the dial to the right.**_ **"**

 **The mic was held out to the audience and to the lead's growing joy, they didn't disappoint him.**

 **"This is why we're biting the bullet, we know the kids are right!" The gathered many sang back in tune. The beaming blond turned and had a bounce in his step as he walked back to his keyboard while Kurama and Sasuke gave sharp strums.**

 **"I said:** _ **This is why / This is why / We turn it up all night / Oh this is why we're biting the bullet / We know the kids are right.**_ **" Naruto reattached his mic quickly and effectively before the four boys started the chorus back up, each singing into a microphone while the Foolish Fools made the lights dance once more.**

 **"** _ **Oo-eoo-ooh / Different colors / Oo-eoo-ooh / We carry each other / Oo-eoo-ooh / We're just different colors / This is why we're biting the bullet / We know the kids are right!**_ **"**

 **Kurama made his guitar sing the opening vocal to the chorus before the next line.**

 **"** _ **Different colors!**_ **" Sasuke, Haku and Naruto sang together. Kurama made his guitar sing once more.**

 **"** _ **We carry each other!**_ **"**

 **"** _ **Oh ye-e-ea-a-ah!**_ **" Sasuke shook his head as he sang over the chorus the three others continued. "** _ **We're just different colors!**_ **"**

 **"This is why we're biting the bullet, we know the kids are right!" Naruto finished the lyrics and the music faded away, accompanied by a whammy insert by Kurama.**

"Darn right, that is why I declare every morning to have cookie breaks!" Ruby declared her presidency of the school.

"No, pancakes for every meal." Nora returned.

"Cookies!"

"Pancakes!"

"Let's just finish the episode, please?" Pyrrha asked, to shimmer the girls down.

They both did so begrudgingly.

Yang finally let go of Blake's bow, while the Faunus unplugged her ears and sighed in relief.

"I can never trust their music again." The Faunus admitted.

 **The attendees absolutely loved it. Whistles, cheers and applause filled the room. Team NHKS shared grins, or beamed a smile in Naruto's case, with one another before they turned back to the audience and bowed as one. Naruto grabbed his mic and pointed over at the duo of DJs.**

 **"Give it up for the Foolish Fools!" He and his team began to clap along with the large crowd of formally dressed teenagers. More applause came from the audience as the DJs bowed slightly and then pointed back at Naruto. Naruto pointed back at them. "Without their expert help we'd probably would've messed this up. Considering the fight yesterday and the fact we only got that one song ready, let me just say that I'm so relieved Professor Ozpin has a good taste in music. Not bad for an old guy, right?"**

"At least he's not a hipster." Yang agreed.

 **The crowd laughed slightly and Beacon's headmaster chuckled into a cup of tea.**

 **"Thank you, now we have to go get all dressed up again...Ugh...My Vacuo bros know what I'm talkin' about!" Naruto grinned over at the mish-matched, barely admissibly well-dressed group of teens, who hooted and hollered when he singled them out. He laughed and said three more words before he and his team disappeared backstage. "Thank you, goodnight!"**

Yang kissed her hand and waved it off. "Goodnight, everybody!"

* * *

 **Attention everyone!**

 **Bones and I have a new dual page named Kross Kings, check it out as we have our combined fanfic Numbuh 9-Tales (A KND/Naruto fic) up.**

 **Take a look and show it some love!**

 **REVIEW!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XX: The Toad Sage**

 _ **Five Years Ago**_

"Oooh, time for a…" Nora trailed off dramatically and slapped some sunglasses onto her eyes. "Flashback!"

Ren quirked a small smile and shook his head at his friend's antics.

 _ **The Village of Kon was a beautiful boarder village on the edge of Vacuo's vast and near endless desert. The most well balanced of what were called the 'Hidden' Villages, due to the extremes most occupants subjected themselves to – one village lived at the peak of a mountain, hidden amongst clouds where the air was thin – Kon was a thriving destination for people and had at one point been among the top pick of the host for the Vytal Festival. However, with the ire of the terrorist group Fourth War focused on this village for reasons unknown, Kon had suffered and quickly rejoined its 'Hidden' sister villages where they resided in the back of Remnant's mind.**_

"Wow, that's so sad and dark." Ruby muttered.

"I've never even heard of them, so I'm guessing they are just in-universe locations." Blake shrugged.

"Or, they do exist-!"

"Yang, he's fictional. Get over it." Weiss huffed.

"Why you gotta break balls, Weiss?" Yang pouted.

 _ **That did not mean Kon was desolate, poor, or near bankrupt. No, for its balanced warm climate, fine education, good people, Kon was still one of the few oasis getaways the citizens of Vacuo would visit. Not to mention, it and its sisters had an underground following because of the bi-annual Hidden Mid-Class Tournament. People from all over Vacuo, and a few from other Kingdoms, flocked to the host village with lien in their pockets to gamble over the young fighters that called the Hidden Villages their homes.**_

"Right, and that was where a lot of depressing and horrible deaths happened." Nora chirped.

"How does she say that with a straight face?" Jaune whispered to Ren.

"You learn to just numb it out."

"…That isn't healthy."

Ren took a deep breath and then sighed. "I know."

 _ **One such fighter was a twelve-year-old blond boy with odd scars on his cheeks.**_

Yang smiled. "Hey, mini-version of handsome is back!"

"...It's a flashback, Yang." Blake deadpanned.

"Well, you don't know when his growth spurt was."

 _ **The boy was clad in only his green and orang boxers, currently soaked to the bone, his skin burning pink from an unintentional dip in the hot springs, and his eyes narrowed at the back of a white-haired man that was currently peeping into the women's fenced-off hot spring.**_

"May he rot in hell, amen." Weiss prayed along with the other girls, save for Yang. The blond rolled her eyes and sat back.

She was willing to give the perv the benefit of the doubt.

" _ **Hey you dirty old pervert! What the Hell was that for?!" The outraged cry was done in mild defense of the Hunter that the 'dirty old pervert' had knocked straight into the sky when the Hunter tried to stop the peeper from peeping.**_

 _ **The white-haired man quickly turned around and glared at the blond. Red tear-like lines fell from his dark eyes to the bottom of his jaw, and a small single wart was on the side of his nose. A horned steel plate covered his forehead, pushing back the thick white hair that threatened to fall into the man's face.**_

" _ **Why don't you keep it down and go play somewhere else, kid? You're a bit young to truly understand an artist's mind," he said with an edge to his tone.**_

" _ **An artist? Sure, yeah, and I'm a little fairy." The blond scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. His eye twitched when he realized the man had turned back to his peephole.**_

" _ **Might as well be with how short you are," said the man. A perverted giggle escaped him after his nonchalant diss and the sound of something shuffling soon followed.**_

"Ugh, this man is utterly deplorable." Weiss said. She rubbed her face and glared at the screen. "Why can't he be arrested again?"

"From what Kurenai said, he's too well connected to higher officials." Blake answered.

"My other better use _her_ connections to ruin _his_ …" the heiress swore under her breath.

" _ **Oi! Who are you calling short, Peeper!?" The boy practically shouted the last word. The man went rigid as the girls on the other side of the fence started to cover themselves and scream in fear and anger. He faced the boy with the snarl on his face.**_

" _ **Goddammit! You stupid shit, do you know how close I was to finishing – ?"**_

" _ **That's disgusting!" The blond covered his mouth and looked away, his face quickly becoming green at the thought of the old man doing such an act publicly.**_

"Immoral!"

Pyrrha looked disgusted along with Weiss. "And with a child present. It is very shameful."

" _ **My next chapter! I was so close to finishing up the next chapter for my book!" The man corrected the blond's assumption with an infuriated look on his face. He even held up the small notebook he was using to write.**_

" _ **Chapter?" The green left the blond's face and he looked over the notebook. Glowing red replaced what had once been green and the prepubescent teen jumped away, a finger of accusation locked on the old man. "I was right! You are nothing more than a dirty old pervert!"**_

" _ **I most certainly am not!"**_

" _ **Bull! That notebook and that peephole says otherwise!"**_

" _ **I am not a dirty old pervert!"**_

"What else could he possibly be?!" Weiss snapped with ire.

" _ **Oh yeah, then what are ya?!"**_

 _ **The man gained a proud smile and stood up with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out.**_

" _ **I am a super pervert!"**_

Jaune blinked and then sent Weiss a small smile. "Well, that's a league above pervert, right?"

Weiss glared at him. She turned away to seethed, a look of utter contempt on her face.

 _ **The man held his finger up pointedly. "The super pervert, to be precise.**_

"Oh, he seems to be the top of his field, too."

"Jaune?"

"Yes?" The blond turned to a rather scary looking Pyrrha.

"Stop. Talking."

Jaune swallowed and nodded frantically. "Y-Yes ma'am."

 _ **Despite whatever that runt Roshi thinks, I am his superior in the art of perversion! I can take a woman with modest beauty and with my words alone transform her into your deepest darkest teenage desires!"**_

" _ **...How is that better?!"**_

" _ **You wouldn't understand, you're what? Ten?"**_

" _ **I'm almost thirteen, jackass!"**_

" _ **Ooh, better watch your mouth kid, don't want your mommy to come washing it out."**_

"Okay, that was a hurtful blow." Yang frowned.

" _ **I'd be afraid if I even had a mom to worry about!" The man's smirk faltered slightly, but the boy didn't show any outward change. The blond thrust a finger back at the white-haired man. "Hey, don't think I didn't notice that you changed the subject! You punched my temp-teacher out of the village! How the Hell am I supposed to train for the Tournament now!?"**_

" _ **...They let a runt like you into the Tournament?" The man asked.**_

" _ **I'm not short, goddammit! I just haven't reached my growth spurt yet!"**_

"And boy does he." Yang grinned widely.

" _ **Calm down, kid, I've been there." The man waved him off. He rubbed his chin and then shrugged. "Well, all I can say is I'm sorry about your troubles. I got a book to finish, so, I guess hopefully I won't see you around."**_

 _ **The blond gaped as the man started to walk away. He quickly ran after him, completely forgetting about his clothes folded at the side of the spring.**_

" _ **Hey, you gotta help me or...Or I'll tell the Old Man what you did!"**_

" _ **Tattling? Ooh, you got me good, kid."**_

"Well, when you don't have options." Ruby shrugged.

Yang scoffed. "That's what happens to you."

"Are you still mad I told dad?"

"Yes! That guy won't even Chirp with my Robin account anymore!"

"You stole my cookies!"

"I got you a cupcake!"

"It's not the same, it's never the same!" Ruby proclaimed with tears in her eyes.

" _ **And I'll prank you ten ways to Sunday!"**_

 _ **The man arched a brow.**_

" _ **Is that supposed to be a threat?" he asked.**_

" _ **You'd better believe it! Naruto Uzumaki is the best damn prankster in all of Vacuo and if you do me wrong, I'll find you and embarrass the flying fuck out of you!"**_

 _ **That got the man to stop. He turned around and stared at the blond for a brief moment.**_

 **Definitely** _ **their**_ **son,** _ **the man thought.**_ **Master Sarutobi didn't tell me that he was such a loud runt. Hard to believe twelve years have gone by...He looks a lot like you, Minato.**

"Oh, so _now_ he knows who Naruto is? How responsible." Weiss sniped with a huff.

" _ **What the Hell are you staring at, Perv?" Naruto demanded with a scowl. "You into kids, too?"**_

 **But he's definitely** _ **your**_ **son, Kushina.** _ **The man's eye twitched and he could imagine the woman grinning proudly at the accusatory tone his thoughts took. Her husband would be laughing in agreement, the damned traitor.**_

"Now that's some family bonding time." Yang crossed her arms and nodded with her eyes closed. She frowned and leaned on Blake's shoulder. "Imagine the family dinners that could have been! A real crying shame."

"Less animated than ours sometimes, that's for sure." Ruby muttered. Their uncle was usually doing something funny/weird while drunk whenever they had a family dinner.

" _ **No, you just reminded me of someone I haven't seen in a while. What'd you say your name was?" The man asked. The boy blinked and grinned proudly as he pounded a fist against his chest.**_

" _ **Naruto Uzumaki, future Huntsman of Remnant!"**_

" _ **Well, then Naruto Uzumaki, allow me to introduce myself." The man started a strange dance as he began his introduction on a small bridge. "I am the Hermit of Mount Myōboku; the wise and powerful Sage of Toads; the man who makes women flock for pleasure; the Gallant Jiraiya!"**_

Jaune went to applaud, but Pyrrha stopped him by holding his hands down and shaking her head.

 _ **Naruto stared at him and Jiraiya, still in what he thought was the coolest pose ever for an introduction, closed his eyes, his grin plastered on his face.**_

 **Yes, be in awe of my amazing-ness! Just like Minato, he's speechless, I've still got-!**

" _ **You're the crazy guy in the marketplace that people steer their children away from because he keeps spouting apocalypse nonsense."**_

 _ **Jiraiya fell flat on his face. A silent wail of anguish and annoyance escaped him and in the back of his mind repeated the mantra:**_ **He's Kushina's son, he's Kushina's son, he's Kushina's son, he's Kushina's son, he's Kushina's son.**

"Now I really want to see what his mom is like." Yang pouted.

"She sounds funny!" Nora giggled.

 _ **A finger poked into the side of his face and Jiraiya glared up at the smirking blond.**_

" _ **But, I think Freeman is a nice guy, so maybe there's hope for you...Even if you're a dirty old pervert."**_

" _ **...I hate you, kid."**_

" _ **You're not the first to say that and you certainly won't be the last."**_

"Huh, he certainly interesting as a child." Pyrrha noted, her cheeks a bit red. "And rather cute."

"Wow, didn't know you went for them young, Pyrrha."

The Invincible Girl choked. "No! I mean, some times I would baby sit and, well, I've always loved children."

"…Not helping your case." Yang dryly noted.

Pyrrha just look at her hands in great interest as her cheeks continued to burn.

 _ **As he got to his feet, Jiraiya couldn't fight down the guffaw at the blond's cheeky grin.**_

 **Yep. He's definitely Kushina** _ **and**_ **Minato's son.**

"I demand a side story of how they got together." Yang declared with a finger at the screen.

 _ **Present**_

 **As she deflected several Dust shards from striking her with the scythe mode of Crescent Rose, Ruby scowled at the mysterious burglar that had suddenly attacked her. Okay, well, in hindsight, she should've known that was going to happen. Someone sneaking across rooftops and breaking into the CCT was bound to be up to no good.**

"That was something you should've told all of us, by the way." Yang told Ruby.

"Well, you were busy with boys, music, and doilies!"

Weiss glared, her doilies had nothing to do with this!

 **Still though, Ruby used her manners and was polite even when she addressed the cat burglar. According to Weiss, there was supposed to be some courtesy shown!**

"She never answered back?" Weiss frowned.

"No."

"Huh, that usually works."

Blake and Yang shook their heads negatively behind Weiss' back.

 _ **Last time I listen to her people skills advice when I'm chasing a criminal.**_ **Ruby thought sourly. While she fired at the acrobatic thief, Ruby's thoughts went to her various friends' advice over meeting people and why she had stepped out of the Dance in the first place. She couldn't help that she was socially awkward! Society was awkward-er than she was, so why did she have to conform?**

"Because we all do." Everyone told Ruby. The cloaked girl snorted.

"Tch, conformists."

 _ **Fight now, think later!**_ **Ruby mentally scolded herself. She spun Crescent Rose in her hands and held it at her hip. Her large caliber bullets fired through the air and shattered the electronic screens or pierced the controls of the CCT's data room, each shot meant for the infiltrator who dodged them and crafted a bow out of seemingly thin air.**

 _ **Oh come on! Stupid heels!**_ **Ruby complained as she awkwardly avoided the arrows the mysterious woman fired at her. How the hell anyone fought in heels, Ruby would never know, but she gave any woman that could** _ **mad**_ **props.**

"It's a gift and a talent that you must hone. It's hard to fight in heels." Weiss educated.

"Thanks, give the bad guy more props."

"Your other already did that."

Ruby just grumbled around a comfort cookie.

 **There was a hiss as the elevator doors opened and Ruby turned to see two men occupying it. One was vaguely familiar, he was the Headmaster of Atlas' Huntsman school General James Ironwood, but the other guy was a stranger. Ruby looked back at her foe with a smirk and gaped when she realized that the woman was gone.**

" **Wha-How?"**

" **Well, color me impressed." The stranger whistled, drawing Ruby's attention back to him. He stood taller than Ironwood by a good three inches (though one of those inches were due to his strange sandals) and wore what could only be described as an olive version of a stereotypical ninja's clothing, with a visible net-like shirt and pants underneath held up by a simple black belt. Olive-colored pads covered the backs of his hands and over his pajama-like top was a red vest. Long, crazy white hair covered his head and was held out of his face by a horned headband that looked like it was made of steel. Red tear-like lines fell down to his jaw from his dark eyes and a wart was visible on the side of his nose.**

"Man, he is really big. Like, Ursa Grimm big." Jaune whistled, and he thought he looked big compared to a younger Naruto. He was even larger compared to petite little Ruby.

" **This room is utterly trashed! I hardly see how this calls for being impressed,** _ **Lord**_ **Jiraiya." Ironwood bit out the word 'lord' as if it burned his tongue. The man, Jiraiya, grinned at him.**

" **I wasn't talking about the room." Jiraiya looked back at Ruby and his grin widened slightly. Ruby held Crescent Rose up to act as a visual deterrent, her discomfort written on her face,**

"Run Ruby, before you end up in a trashy novel!" Weiss cried out feebly.

 **and Ironwood groaned into his gloved hand. The action made Jiraiya guffaw.**

" **I should've just stayed at the Dance." Ironwood mumbled with a frown. He'd finally gotten a dance with Glynda, too. Talk about being gipped of a prime opportunity.**

" **Ah, but then you wouldn't have come to get me out of Vale's holding cell!**

"You should have let him rot." The heiress frowned.

 **And then I wouldn't have offered to help you investigate the break in." Jiraiya countered smugly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "On a side note, you've only got two more favors to repay."**

"…Too many connections," Weiss said bitterly.

" _ **Don't**_ **remind me." Ironwood grumbled as he glared at Jiraiya. He leveled a look at Ruby, who was trying to appear as insignificant as possible. "You're a student at Beacon, right? The leader of Team RWBY."**

" **Erm, y-yes sir...I'm Ruby Rose," she said meekly. A small wave was added. "Nice to see you again..."**

Yang rubbed her face. "This is too painful."

"How did you think I felt?" Ruby asked with a huff.

" **I hope for your sake that was a joke." Ironwood folded his arms firmly over his chest. "Because then I can just write it off as poor humor instead of a defensive mechanism."**

" **Oh, come on, Jimmy–!"**

" **How many times do I have to tell you to** _ **not**_ **call me that?" Ironwood asked his companion with a glare. Jiraiya continued as if he hadn't just been interrupted or just insulted the Atlesian General.**

" **Let's get the kid back to Ozzy's Feel Good Party. I highly doubt Qrow's star student would ruthlessly assault the CCT's guards and then trash the place."**

 **Ruby was about to agree when she caught the name the man dropped.**

" **You know my Uncle Qrow?" she asked. The two men looked at her and Jiraiya smirked.**

" **Kid, I got stories about practically** _ **everyone's**_ **uncle. Including Jimmy's here."**

"Wow, that's a lot of uncles." Jaune admitted and hummed, "I wonder what he has on all three of mine?"

" _ **Lord**_ **Jiraiya, you were telling me why we shouldn't have her questioned?" Ironwood asked.**

" **Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jiraiya nonchalantly waved the General off. "Like I said, she doesn't look like the type of girl who would beat up several professionally trained soldiers without causing some excessive damage. Now if it was** _ **my**_ **student..."**

" **Yours is known to the** _ **world**_ **for his mayhem." Ironwood argued.**

"I can only fathom who they are talking about."

"Wow, Weiss, you must be really tired if you don't know." Nora pointed out.

Weiss' scarred eye twitched dangerously.

" **Psh, that's only when Naruto's** _ **not**_ **trying. I'm sure Ozpin's faculty has already had some issues with finding evidence of some of his more...exciting pranks." Jiraiya mused thoughtfully.**

" **Like when he made Professor Goodwitch's hair green for a few days." Ruby nodded. Ironwood snapped his head over to the girl and she shrunk down to hide behind her scythe.**

"…We sure he's okay? That _sounded_ painful." Jaune blanched.

" **He did what?"**

" **Probably one of the first things he did, right?" Jiraiya asked Ruby, who came a bit out of her shell as the older man spoke to her. He was** _ **not**_ **as scary as General Ironwood was...but Ruby would still keep him an arm's length away.**

"Smart Ruby, and if he gets to close, cut him down." Weiss instructed.

"…I'd rather not murder someone." Ruby frowned at the statement.

"It's for the betterment of that world, Ruby. No one will cry."

"Just the smut lovers." Yang grinned, elbowing Blake.

The Faunus glared at her with red cheeks.

" **Yeah, that was** _ **way**_ **back at the beginning of the school year." Ruby nodded again. "Everyone agrees he did it, and Naruto doesn't argue, but he also doesn't admit it."**

" **No evidence and no admittance means plausible deniability." Jiraiya nodded sagely. "One of my first lessons. He really took to it like a fish in water...or an Uzumaki to Ramen. Like this one time, we were travelling through Mantle–"**

" **Jiraiya!" Ironwood hissed with a glare. "If we're not going to question her now, then let's return her to Beacon."**

 **Jiraiya huffed and turned his head away.**

" **Spoilsport."**

" **Do you think they're trying to become one being?" Sun asked thoughtfully as he and Blake stared at Naruto, who was dressed back up in his tux, and Yang while the two blondes heatedly made out off to the side while the rest of the room was dancing to the Foolish Fools' music choices.**

"I think so," Yang looked at her other's technique. "They could be trying harder though."

"I-I think that it's more than enough." Pyrrha said, looking pink in the face.

 **As soon as Naruto tore himself away from the group of fellow Vacuo natives that crowded him and his team, Yang snatched Naruto's hand and pulled him into a dipped kiss. The claim was made and many eyes glared at the blond couple; Yang because of her claim and Naruto because of his lack of resistance to it.**

Yang scoffed, "Who would resist that?"

"She has a point." Blake agreed.

The blonde grinned. "Something to confess, Blake?"

"In your dreams."

"Your right, the Bellabooty is something only to be seen in one's dreams. But I am lucky. I get to see it in both dreams _and_ the real world!"

Blake had the urge to gouge out Yang's eyes, but restrained herself from doing so. There were too many witnesses.

 **On a side note, Sun foresaw a few catfights in the near future, and those signs were** _ **always**_ **a plus in his book.**

 **Since then, thirty minutes had passed and Sun** _ **swore**_ **neither had broken away from the kiss. Even as they maneuvered through the crowd to the table the four now sat at, the Faunus from Haven was positive that his buddy and his buddy's girlfriend hadn't broken apart.**

" **It honestly wouldn't surprise me." Blake mumbled lowly. She had become** _ **far**_ **too accustomed to Naruto and Yang's eccentric personalities in the short time that she knew them.**

Blake sighed dejectedly. "It's scary how you get used to that."

Yang looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, Yang."

" **I mean, this is what? Minute forty mark?" Sun asked. He rubbed his chin. "How do you practice such a thing? Alone? With a friend?"**

 **The last question made Naruto start and he –** _ **very**_ **reluctantly – pulled away from Yang. They panted lightly, Yang having a dopey grin on her face while Naruto glared at Sun.**

" **What are you implying?" he asked lowly. The monkey-tailed Faunus held his hands up defensively.**

" **I'm not implying anything!" Sun quickly defended himself. He blinked as a thought struck him and then leaned closer to Naruto. A small grin had made itself known on the previously nervous teen's face. "Why? Are you** _ **afraid**_ **of me implying something?"**

"Oh, it's something." Yang said eagerly, rubbing her hands together. "We must know!"

"Maybe he'll tell you when he wants to?" Ruby suggested.

"But I want to know now!" The blonde whined and pouted.

" **No!" The whiskered blond denied quickly, far too quickly. Blake furrowed her brow and narrowed her gaze.**

" **You're hiding something." She accused. Sun's grin widened slightly.**

" **Oh yeah he is."**

" **I'm not hiding** _ **anything**_ **!" Naruto hissed venomously. His eyes narrowed back at Blake. "Leave it, Bell."**

" **...Fine." Blake sat back in seeming disinterest as her arms, previously holding her head aloft, folded over her chest. Sun gave her a pout and Naruto's unnaturally angry look washed from his face. The former White Fang member gained a small, playful smirk. "I'll just ask Kurama. I'm sure he'd be open to telling me anything...for the right price."**

Weiss blinked. "Why Blake, that is positively devilish of you. I must commend you for it."

"Thank you, Weiss."

" **Oh-ho-ho! That's cruel, Blake!" Sun chuckled out while Naruto paled.**

" **Y-You wouldn't!" He faltered when the girl raised a challenging brow and her smirk grew just slightly. Naruto's tanned skin became chalk white. "...That's** _ **low**_ **, Bell. That's real low."**

" **I'm a ninja, fear my ninja-tude." Blake returned coolly.**

"Ninja War!" Nora cried out with glee.

Weiss' eye twitched. "Blake, I retract my compliment."

Blake shrugged. She'd still remember otherwise.

 **Her smirk turned into a small grin when Sun burst into laughter and Naruto led his head drop into his hands. Yang, who finally came out of her make-out induced stupor, looked around the table with a confused frown on her face.**

" **Whoa, hold up. Did I miss something?" Yang asked.**

"You were probably too busy having your wet dream."

"…Ouch Blake, cruel much?"

 **Sun's continued laughter and Blake's grin did little to answer her question, so she turned to her boyfriend. "Naruto, what'd I miss?"**

" **Your partner and my pen pal are double teaming me, vigorously** _ **pumping**_ **me and roughly** _ **pounding**_ **away at my inner walls for the glorious secret and** _ **succulent**_ **treasure that resides within."**

"…Am I still a virgin?" Ruby asked with a red face and a raised hand. Those words tickled her mind in all the weirdest ways.

"Yes Ruby." Weiss answered, her face slightly pink as well.

 **Sun fell out of his chair, his arms around his sides and tears racing down his face from his laughter. Blake's grin faltered just slightly as a faint dusting of pink appeared over her face and her amber eyes glared viciously at Naruto. It was as if her eyes had marked him as a target and to make matters even more interesting, the depressed blues belonging to Yang's boyfriend flashed a silent challenge back at the Faunus. Ignoring the contest between her boyfriend and her partner, Yang gave an insulted huff and sent a dirty look to Blake.**

" **And you didn't invite** _ **me**_ **?" She asked.**

"Because that's all that matters." Blake rolled her eyes.

"It does!" Yang pouted. "I'm dating him, I got first dibs!"

Blake closed her eyes and shook her head.

" **Naruto was about to reveal one of his secrets before you snapped out of la-la land." Blake calmly returned.**

" **You don't know that!" Naruto protested with a frown. "Honestly, Bell, jumping to such an assumption after you display such cruelness!"**

" **I'll go ask Kurama, and let you deal with Coco's anger for pulling him away from Velvet." Blake challenged.**

"Damn you are vicious when you want something." Jaune pointed out to Blake.

The Faunus nonchalantly shrugged. "The way of the world, Jaune. It's the way of the world."

 **Naruto stole a glance over at the two Faunus, Fox and his self-proclaimed older sister as they talked. A grimace spread across his face and he sat up in his seat.**

" **You know, most people buy dinner before they try to screw someone," He said lowly. Blake's eye twitched at the vulgar implication while Yang nodded in agreement.**

"Even I have that much decency."

"Shut up, Weiss. It's not like you don't want to know, too," Blake said irritably.

" **Nothing in life is free," said the buxom bombshell of Team RWBY. She sent a sly look to her boyfriend. "But your little concert did knock your price down from a six-star restaurant to a five-star one."**

" **I guess I should either start saving or reread the folks' will." Naruto mused thoughtfully. He frowned. "Really hope they'd let me dip in to spoil significant others. I don't want to have to cut back on Ramen."**

"So it's noodles and _then_ Yang. Interesting priorities your 'perfect' boyfriend has," Weiss said.

Yang's lower lip warbled.

" **Glad to know where I rank on your priorities list, Whisker Boy," Yang said with a smirk.**

" **Would you sell Bumblebee to take** _ **me**_ **out to dinner at a fancy restaurant?" Naruto countered, a brow raised in question. Yang pursed her lips in thought.**

" **Hmm, fair point. BB** _ **is**_ **my baby."**

"I would rather cut off my arm then sell my baby!" Yang was aghast by the very thought.

" **While listening to you two barter with each other for sex is absolutely enthralling, I believe I still have a question needing to be answered." Blake reminded the couple with her dry sarcasm. Naruto scowled at her while Yang gave her an apologetic grin and held her hands up in a 'what-can-you-do?' manner.**

" **Sorry, Blake. We just can't help ourselves sometimes. I mean, we're a Yang-ing couple, after all."**

" **A bedroom storm just** _ **waiting**_ **to be unleashed." Naruto nodded sagely at his own words. Yang redirected her grin at him.**

" **Ah, going for the translation pun, huh? Not bad, Maelstrom."**

"You two are so made for each other it's almost sickening." Ruby confessed.

Yang patted her head, "No worry, Rubes, we'll find a cute guy, or girl, for you to be all lovey-dovey with."

Ruby swiftly became a sputtering mess.

" **Damn right I am, Honey."**

" **Focus." Blake interrupted the two before they could start another hour-long make-out session. The catlike Faunus glared at Naruto, annoyed with his casual ability to redirect conversation away from his secret with the use of lewd humor. She didn't know if Yang was aware of it or not, but her partner was definitely helping** _ **just**_ **to rile Blake up.**

 **That, and Sun was still dying from laughter on the floor beside her.**

" **Alright, fine," Naruto said with a groan. He sagged his shoulders and looked away. Very softly, the words left his lips and a light blush appeared on his face.**

 **Blake's eyes shot** _ **wide**_ **open and her faintly pink cheeks blossomed into full on inferno red. Yang, who did** _ **not**_ **have the same acute hearing as Blake did, arched a delicate brow at the sight, and looked at her boyfriend.**

"Hey, tell me, too!"

" **What did you tell her?" She pried. He looked at her for a moment, opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it.**

" **You're not the one who asked," Naruto said with finality. The words made Yang's jaw drop.**

" **Excuse me!?"**

" **'Loopholes are like assholes, they were made to be used in a certain way. It just depends on how you use them and if you use them well.'" Naruto kept his gaze averted from Yang, his blush slowly fading away as he did.**

" **What the Hell is** _ **that**_ **supposed to mean?" Yang asked with a glare.**

"…Bullshit! I demand answers!" Yang glared with red eyes at her other's beau.

" **A lesson my godfather taught me." The whiskered blond answered. He, still not looking away from the banister he suddenly acquired an interest in, pointed at Blake, whose eyes had glazed over and her mouth curved upwards into a small (and just a tad** _ **slightly**_ **perverted) smile.**

"Well, it must be good if Blake is fantasizing." Weiss dryly commented.

"He must have practiced with pancakes, they can be quite seductive."

All eyes turned to Nora. The girl shrugged. "What? Their allure has no bounds."

"At least she doesn't make out with them." Ren sighed under his breath. That would have been a whole new level of awkward.

" **She was the one who asked about a secret, and so did Sun, but he's preoccupied."**

 **There was a pained wheeze followed by a chuckle from the floor.**

" **You, my Yangel, did not ask. You were merely in a situation which could have benefitted you greatly had I not stalled to think about how I would answer Blake's question." Naruto finally looked away from the banister and met her narrowed lilac eyes, an amused smile on his face. "Sorry, but I'm not an easy safe to crack. Where's the fun in that if you learned my deepest darkest secret so soon?"**

" **...There's something deeper than killing someone?" Yang asked lowly. She gave him mild credit for reusing the punny nickname as an adjective, something she felt was far more flattering than when he simply addressed her as the pun. Her lips pressed together in a pout as he chuckled lightly.**

"After all of that, it's all about the pun?" Ruby deadpanned.

"Ruby," Yang began seriously. "It's _always_ about the puns."

" **That's only scratching the surface. There's a whole** _ **flood**_ **that I'm keeping inside just for you." Naruto smirked slightly and brushed her lips with his thumb. He rose up from his seat and then adjusted his coat. "Speaking of liquids, I'm pretty sure that Sun needs something to help his throat recover and I'm feeling a bit parched from my 'little' concert. Back in a second and, uh, you might want to get Blake a napkin in case her nose bleeds."**

 **The mischievous blond strode away after he helped the coughing Sun to his feet, leaving a pouty Yang alone with her head-in-the-clouds partner.**

"Dammit, what are you fantasizing about?!" Yang demanded with a glare.

"I'll probably never tell."

"I will find out!"

 **The buxom blonde turned her attention to Blake, who was still lost in a thousand yard stare. A wave in front of the secret Faunus' face didn't snap her out of it, and neither did some finger snapping above her head in front of the bow. Yang's eye twitched.**

 _ **Dammit, now I really want to know what he said**_ **, she thought sourly. If it was something so good it got the stoic** _ **Blake**_ **to react so strongly, it was** _ **definitely**_ **something Yang could hold over Naruto's head** _ **forever**_ **.**

 **Finally, Yang settled on giving Blake a firm pinch on the arm. The Faunus jumped and hissed lowly before she clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in horror. Yang, however, grinned widely.**

"Kitty's got her claws out."

Blake looked embarrassed at her other's little slip.

" **I love it when you show me your wild side."**

" **Tell anyone, and you** _ **die**_ **."**

"It will be painful, it will be slow, and it will leave marks."

"Me-ouch!" Yang teased.

"Vengeance will be mine." Blake whispered.

" **Well, now,** _ **this**_ **is a party!" Jiraiya clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly as his eyes washed over the crowd. Primarily over all of the teenage girls' with revealing dresses. His gaze lingered on a redheaded beauty with an eye-drawing red dress that was far too conservative for his tastes, but certainly gave him quite the inspiration. If he was a good few decades younger...**

"Oh my." Pyrrha covered her mouth with a gasp.

"Jaune, do something useful, quick!" Weiss said. "Defend her honor!"

"…I'm pretty sure she could do that without me."

"That not the point, you dolt!"

 **Jiraiya prayed that if his wayward student/godson had gotten a girlfriend, it would be her.**

"What?" Yang snapped with narrowed eyes. She glared at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha merely smiled coyly.

 **The story of Nimato and Koo Sheena – a radiant, raunchy redheaded seductress who used chains in battle and was Nimato's greatest challenge/equal in the** _ **Ninjas of Love**_ **lore – was the most beloved edition and it was the tale that really brought in the female readers. The fandom was absolutely** _ **devastated**_ **when both Nimato and Koo Sheena passed in the most recent release of the series, especially since Nimato and Koo Sheena passed away on the night the heir to the Fa-Pin-Fist protagonist had been born.**

"Nimato and Koo Sheena?" Ruby blinked. "That sounds like Naruto's parents' names, but, a lot sillier sounding."

"That's because they are, and yes, I'm going to be in a smut novel!" Yang pumped her fist. "Immortality confirmed!"

 **Jiraiya was thinking of calling the boy Rut Nao, with a pronunciation of [ruht nou] included. What? Obvious sex jokes were hilarious, and considering the activities that Jiraiya already had in mind for the next hero, it was an apt name. But there was a flaw with his story, a singular flaw that** _ **needed**_ **to be fixed soon or the whole story wouldn't be finished by the time his publisher wanted it. Jiraiya lacked a primary love interest for the next hero. He had thought of making her a Faunus, to keep with the wild theme and open the suggestion of equality through subtle dialogue – seed planting via dirty novels for the win! – but didn't have any personality or a set appearance in mind.**

"That is both daring and crafty." Blake nodded. "I approve."

 **Which is where the super pervert returned to the hope that Naruto had chosen the scarlet-haired vision of beauty. She would make a marvelous female lead! The battle hardened hourglass figure she shared with Kushi-** _ **KooSheena**_ **matched the parallel between Rut Nao and Min-** _ **Nimato**_ **!**

"Wow, so Naruto's mom looked like an older Pyrrha? She must have been a bombshell." Yang mused.

Pyrrha looked bashful. "Yang, please."

"What? You're hot, girl! Strut it with pride!"

 **A gleefully perverted giggle escaped the old man and he pulled out his handy-dandy notebook. Ironwood was giving him a look of blatant disapproval and the young cutie – who may or may not make a cameo into Rut Nao's love life, Jiraiya hadn't decided yet – gave him the same confused look that his godson gave him when they first started their training. Such a simple and pure kid...Yeah, she'd be a great addition.**

Yang squealed as she hugged Ruby. "Double immortality!"

"I don't want immortality!" Ruby said with tears in her eyes, and she didn't want to be a fling either!

She was main love interest material, darn it!

 **He absentmindedly jotted a note down before he looked back up at the redhead to finish getting her measurement estimates.**

 **To Jiraiya's horror, a blond boy in a short, fitted dress and sneakers obscured his vision of the beauty. His eyes bled as he unintentionally ogled the teen's muscled back. The self-proclaimed super pervert recoiled as he squeezed his eyes shut. He used his fingers to form a cross in front of him and took a solid step back.**

" **Begone, devilish vision, leave my eyes!" His cry earned him a few odd looks, but they were all ignored.**

"Hey!" Jaune cross his arms sternly. "I worked that dress like a runway model, thank you very much."

"…I've got nothing to say to that." Yang freely admitted. She looked at Nora. "You?"

"Nope."

 **A couple of eyes widened and he vaguely recognized them belonging to students of Vacuo's Hunter Academy, where he was far more known than when compared to the other four Kingdoms' academies. Ah, the life of a living legend. Never fails to bring joy to his heart when he hears whispers about who he was.**

 **A bit distorted by the music, three voices Jiraiya recognized simultaneously shouted at the sound of his voice: "Shut up, ya dirty old toad!"**

" **Ah, there they are," Jiraiya said with a smirk. He turned to Ironwood and gave a mock salute. "My children call for me, this is where we part, Jimmy!"**

"Those poor boys." Weiss actually felt sorry for Naruto and the others.

" **Goodbye. Sir." Ironwood tightly bit out. Jiraiya laughed and turned back to the simple-minded niece of that young crow.**

" **It was nice to meet one of the brat's friends, but I gotta go give him a piece of my mind. See you around, Red." Jiraiya gave a quick wave before he disappeared into the crowd. How did he know this? He knew that due to Red's question directed at the young General.**

" **How did he disappear when he was dressed like** _ **that**_ **?!"**

 **Ah, to be a master of spies. Always made the ladies stare at his departure in awe. And rage. There was also usually a thin underlying layer of rage.**

"Stealth Rage." Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"Probably not why they're angry." Yang mumbled with a smirk. She bet the old perv snuck out after a night in.

" **Uh, any reason you just randomly shouted like that?" Coco asked the groaning foxlike Faunus her friend was so enamored with. They were having a nice gossip session about the visitors from Haven when Kurama's tail went straight and he froze in the middle of his sentence before he shouted the insult into the air. A mental disorder was something Coco needed to be informed of before she let her friend start dating this guy.**

" **A-And why did Naruto and S-Sasuke shout, too?" Velvet asked. She was a tad concerned at the way Kurama pinched his nose and grumbled after he suddenly shouted.**

" **They did?" Coco asked, with Fox arching a brow in mild surprise. Velvet nodded and the three older students looked back at Kurama.**

" **Naruto's godfather is here." Kurama answered simply.**

"And like that, their world ends." Nora pointed with a giggle, ah, others' discomfort. It was oddly appealing to watch.

 **He looked up at them with a frown on his face. "Which either means he's come for a visit or he's come to test us."**

" **And those are bad because...?" Coco fished.**

" **Ultimately?" Kurama sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Every female on this campus will want to kill us after he leaves."**

"Weiss...please put your rapier away." Ruby whimpered.

"I'm just…polishing it."

" **That's it?"**

" **They'll probably be able to because we'll either be too mentally exhausted from his antics or too physically exhausted from him knocking our asses around like we're training dummies."**

" **...H-He's not that bad is he?" Velvet asked.**

" **Imagine, if you will, a lonely old pervert who stays at home watching porno twenty-four-seven. Then, give that man Naruto's eccentric and boisterous personality. Got it in mind?"**

"…Shoot on sight, shoot on sight!" Weiss demanded with paler skin then she usually had.

"He can't be _that_ bad." Yang waved off.

"Did you not _hear_ the information dealer?!"

"I did, but I am saving my own judgment for my other. I want her opinion."

 **The three nodded, all pale (Velvet was ghostly white) at the thought.**

" **That's Naruto's godfather in a nutshell." Kurama sighed.**

" **And what, pray tell, was** _ **that**_ **about?" Haku asked his teammate with a look of bewilderment. Weiss and Neptune both had disturbed looks on their faces from Sasuke's sudden (and** _ **rude**_ **) outburst in the middle of the Haven student's story. A rude interruption from Naruto or Kurama was expected, both boys the more abrasive of their team, but from Sasuke? It was shocking.**

"He does tend to be more well-mannered, this Jiraiya must have really spooked him." Pyrrha noted.

"That's a no duh, Pyrrha." Nora nodded, even she felt sorry for the waffle loving scum.

" **Oum, why? Why is he here?" Sasuke mumbled to himself as he rubbed his red face. He looked at Neptune apologetically. "I'm so sorry. That's an automatic reaction."**

" **To** _ **what**_ **?" Neptune asked. This was** _ **way**_ **better than the story about the first time Sage got pranked by Sun.**

" **Possibly both one of the greatest novelists I've ever met and the primary example of why men** _ **need**_ **to have monogamous marriages by age thirty." Sasuke's answer made Weiss furrow her brows and Neptune scratch his head, but Haku's eyes widened.**

" **Wait, he is here?" Haku asked. "Why would he come now? Did Naruto invite him?"**

" **No way. Naruto doesn't invite him to** _ **anything**_ **." Sasuke refuted.**

"I don't blame him," Weiss said, hoping Naruto got a psyche evaluation down the line from having to spend time with this…Toad.

 **He threw his hands up. "The man just** _ **knows**_ **where, when and how to appear to cause me misery!"**

" **This person sounds horrible," Weiss said with a scowl on her face. She folded her arms in front of her. "Figures that Uzumaki knows him."**

" **Oh, it's worse than that," Sasuke said, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the white-haired girl. The raven-haired teen rubbed his face. "They're** _ **family**_ **."**

"Le gasp!"

"Funny Yang." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Someone had to say it."

" **...That** _ **is**_ **worse..."**

" **Weiss!" Haku admonished the heiress.**

" **Gotta agree with the Snow Angel on this one," Neptune said with a nod.**

" **Come on, he can't be that bad...After all, Naruto sings praises of his godfather's training." Haku protested.**

" **His godfather trains him?" Weiss asked curiously.**

" **That's what I've been told."**

" **And he only sings praises** _ **after**_ **the training is done. When he's** _ **seen**_ **the results." Sasuke pointed out. He shuddered. "That man is a slave driver...And I'm grateful he refuses to teach anyone else, but his** _ **student**_ **won't shut up about it! I don't know about Kurama, but I feel like** _ **I**_ **go through the damn torture after Naruto describes it."**

Yang rubbed her chin in thought. "With his Semblance, and this new masochistic side to him…it opens some _very_ interesting doors."

Blake just suddenly had many naughty thoughts, before shaking her head to banish them with a blush on her face.

Ruby looked to Nora pleadingly. "Kill me."

"What?!" Nora said, pancakes in her ears.

Ruby clicked her tongue, clever girl.

" **Okay, I'm with Haku on this one. It can't be** _ **that**_ **bad." Neptune argued logically. "People over exaggerate** _ **all**_ **the time."**

 **Sasuke stared dryly at him.**

" **Naruto's own godfather threw him off a fifty foot cliff, into a crevasse that did visibly end and was about ninety feet wide."**

"And this man has guardianship over a child?" Pyrrha said with an appalled look.

" **...You're kidding." Neptune let out a weak laugh. "Nice one."**

" **There were jagged rocks on either wall. Each shaped like a massive, in the idiot's own words, 'swirly cone'. They were easily thirty feet long. Possibly half that much in width."**

" **Oh my God, he's** _ **not**_ **kidding." Weiss' eyes grew wide in horror and she thought about the day she got her scar. Even her father, as much of a stickler he was for perfection, wasn't** _ **that**_ **harsh when he oversaw her lessons.**

"Oh right, Weiss' daddy issues."

Weiss glared at Yang. "They aren't issues."

"Right...Right."

" **Naruto's** _ **semblance**_ **, and remember that this is the freaking stupid-powered** _ **idiot**_ **we're talking about here, could** _ **not**_ **break through the rocks."**

" **...Well, he did something. It wasn't like he died." Haku pointed out. He became a bit unnerved when Sasuke's firm stare turned his way.**

"Give me your soul, give me your soul, give me your soooul!"

"Nora." Ren chided, after he had finally got her to take out the pancakes.

"What? I saw it on a video once."

" **Naruto only survived the fall because he was able to multiply his durability to fifteen times that of a normal human."**

" **So?"**

" **He was only** _ **twelve**_ **. At that point, his body couldn't withstand the strain of that much aura. Some of his skin burnt off and he was hospitalized for a month and a half."**

" **...How do you know that?" Haku asked. Sasuke gingerly touched his right arm and grimaced.**

" **Naruto was brought in a week after we had our** _ **big**_ **fight. I was still getting treatments for my arm."**

" **...This man** _ **raised**_ **Naruto?" Neptune asked as he paled rapidly.**

" **Oh god no!" Sasuke grabbed at his chest and his eyes were wider than before. "Don't even – If I had to** _ **think**_ **about what Naruto would be like if he was** _ **raised**_ **by his godfather...I think I might kill myself. I'm not even kidding, I would** _ **not**_ **want to live in a world where the idiot was raised by the Toad."**

"…Then why does he have any guardianship whatsoever?" Pyrrha questioned further.

"The world may never know." Jaune whispered with a wiggle of his fingers.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Jaune."

"Sorry…"

" **Aha! That's your secret! You know a dirty old toad!" Yang accused. She knew it was wrong, she was just guessing now, like she had been for the past ten minutes. Yang couldn't get anything out of Blake, as her Faunus teammate would always drift off in thought with glazed over eyes whenever she thought about Naruto's secret. It invoked both envy and anger directed at her teammate, as well as a smidge of curiosity.**

"My lips are sealed."

"And your thoughts dirty." Yang shot back with irritation at her supposed partner. Who was supposed to share secrets with her. Which Blake was not!

 **Just how vivid was the imagination her catty friend seemed to had?**

" **I** _ **wish**_ **." Naruto mumbled with a mild look of annoyance on his face. His eyes were narrowed and scanning the sea of hormones that were the dancegoers. What he was searching for, Yang hadn't a clue.**

 **Blake disagreed with Naruto's wish in her slightly green face was anything to go by.**

 **Again Yang wondered just what exactly was going through that girl's mind.**

" **The Toad is** _ **here**_ **? W-with Kurenai here?" Sun asked as he shrunk a bit in his seat.**

 **Yang was** _ **not**_ **surprised to see the monkey boy so afraid of her team's appointed mother hen. Kurenai was downright** _ **scary**_ **when she was mad, and her naturally red eyes helped a** _ **lot**_ **to instill fear when she was scolding someone. Yang had been on the brunt of such scolding before and after the Lunchroom incident due to a few too many PDAs she and Naruto had, so she could understand Sun's fear of the woman.**

"Maybe if you behaved for once." Ruby scolded.

"Please, Weiss and Blake do that enough for our team, I'm the edgy one." Yang huffed.

 **Still, it begged the question...**

" **The Toad?" Yang asked.**

" **Toad Sage," Sun said, with Blake's eyes sparkling as she joined Naruto's search.**

" **My godfather." Naruto replied a beat afterwards.**

" **Ah, okay." Yang nodded and began to think about what her boyfriend's secret could possibly – hold that thought a moment. Yang snapped her eyes over to Naruto.**

" **The Toad Sage is your what?" Blake and Yang asked together. The buxom blonde turned her attention back to the Faunus, whose amber eyes were bright and brimming with jealousy as they stared at Naruto in shock.**

"…You are so lost in your smut."

Blake glared at Weiss. "You don't understand great plot!"

"With XXX-rated material."

"…The character development is amazing."

Weiss gave a mocking smile. "I'm sure."

" **Godfather. You know, the guy that's supposed to be your go-to in case something happens to your parents." Naruto continued to search the crowd for the Toad Sage. His lips pursed and he did a quick check behind him before he returned his gaze to the sea of hormones.**

" **Your godfather is the author of** _ **Ninjas of Love**_ **?" Blake asked.**

" **You know, he says that and yet** _ **always**_ **tries to mooch off of me." Naruto commented thoughtfully. "So, I'm guessing he has** _ **nothing**_ **to do with the construction of the novels and was just the lucky bastard whose title was chosen to conceal the true genius behind the series."**

"…Who is this true genius?" Blake wondered intently.

"I'm fairly certain that was just a ploy to draw his godfather out," Weiss said dryly.

 **A fist buried itself into the top of Naruto's skull and an arm wrapped around his throat.**

"See? I was right."

 **Naruto had slipped a hand between his throat and his assailant's arm, so he wasn't being choked, but the attacker ground his knuckle around into the blond's skull. Yang gave the man a quick once over since she realized her beau was in no real danger. Olive colored ninja pajamas, fishnet clothes beneath, a red vest above, a simple black belt, wooden sandals, and a horned headband covered the older man's body. White hair spilled from his head in a massive, barely contained mane of spikes and the age was visible in his face...along with a wart on the side of his nose.**

 _ **Ten bucks says that's the origin of his title.**_ **Yang thought as she watched her boyfriend get assaulted by some strange old man.**

" **You** _ **little**_ **ungrateful bastard! The blasphemy that spills from your** _ **puny**_ **mouth is a broth of naught more than a heathen's slander, lies and poison! How the hell is a** _ **runt**_ **like you supposed to take up the business after I die, ya goddamn dumbass** _ **shrimp**_ **!?"**

"Isn't Naruto really tall?" Jaune tilted his head.

"Well, this guy is pretty big." Ruby told him.

Yang snickered, "That's what she said."

Ruby flushed and glared at Yang, "You know what I meant!"

" **Who are ya calling a little-puny-runt-shrimp, ya dumb ol' perv!?" Naruto heatedly yelled back at his assailant. The fist grinding around in his head thumped him once before it began to grind again.**

" **I'm calling** _ **you**_ **a little brat, ya little brat!"**

" **I'm** _ **not**_ **little!"**

" **That is true in more ways than one," Yang said with a smirk. The two looked at her, stopped in their antics.**

" **Hel-lo beautiful. Oof!" The 'ol' perv' as Naruto called him doubled over and cradled his loins after Naruto elbowed him hard in the groin.**

"Yeah, I didn't think he'd let his godfather leer at me." Yang nodded at her other's boyfriend's action. His chivalrous actions were very charming in her opinion.

" **She's** _ **off-limits**_ **, Pervy Sage." Naruto growled at the whimpering older man.**

" **Yeah, I kind of figured that out when you cheap shot-ed me in the nards, ya little shit!" the man hissed as tears trailed down his cheeks. He ducked back down and shuddered while Naruto rolled his eyes.**

" **Please, like anything down there still works after all the blows its' taken over the years." Yang winced at the burn her boyfriend dished out to his godfather, who shot to his feet in outrage.**

"That, that was too much information and just painful to hear." Jaune shuddered.

Ren looked amazingly defensive over his own family jewels at that moment.

" **I'll have you know, brat, that this stud and all of his parts are still in working order!" He snarled with his hands on his hips. He smacked Naruto upside the head when the whiskered blond rolled his eyes.**

" **Damn Pervert." "Damn Punk."**

 **Sun pointed between the two.**

" **Are we sure there's no...** _ **relation**_ **here?" he asked. "You two are a lot alike. I mean, in more ways than one."**

" **As if I'm anything like this ol' Perv/lil' Punk!" Naruto and his godfather glared at Sun for his suggestion before they glared at each other for the insult.**

 _ **Nope, not alike at all.**_ **Yang thought with a grin on her face. Naruto was a riot when he was all wound up like this.**

"My other has spoken, I like him, too."

Weiss looked to Blake. "We're doomed."

"Other us, yes."

 **The old pervert was quickly becoming one of Yang's favorite people in the world, and that list wasn't short, but it certainly was difficult as hell to get on.**

Ruby gave her sister a wide-eyed look, "I'm on the list, right?"

"Number two." Yang nodded.

"What?!" Ruby squawked. The blonde smiled at her.

"Zwei first, duh."

"But, but!" the hood wearing girl stammered with tears in her eyes.

Yang just snickered at the sight. Her sister was just too cute~

 **Making her laugh was a good way to get there, and the way her boyfriend and his godfather were butting heads definitely made that happen.**

" **How many times do I have to tell you, Brat? I'm not a mere pervert!"**

" **When you get it through your skull that I'm** _ **not**_ **little, ya ol' Toad!"**

" **Did Naruto always have an accent?" Blake asked her laughing teammate softly as a noticeable change became apparent in Naruto's voice.**

" **Vacuo's a bit more diverse when it comes to language," Sun said with a shrug as his voice gained a small change, becoming a bit higher in pitch. He cleared his throat and spoke normally again. "Wandering natives developed their own language and relearned the Remnant basic we all speak. My gramps was a wanderer when he was younger and learned their language. Bet any amount of money the Toad was, too."**

" **Gah, and you got them all calling me 'Toad'! What kind of ungrateful brat does that!?"**

Nora raised her hand. "Oh, oh, I know! Because it makes us laugh!"

" **What kind of pervy old guy takes a** _ **twelve**_ **-year-old into the red light district!?"**

" **You loved it and you know it! You're just trying to make me look bad in front of your pretty girlfriend!"**

" **First of all, Yang's not pretty, she's stunning." Naruto argued with a huff.**

"Huh, bonus points, good boyfriend." Yang nodded.

" **...Alright, I'll give you that. Definitely a ten when she's all dolled up." The older man nodded. "Have to wait to see her all natural – Oof!"**

 **Naruto lowered his arm and shook out his wrist while the man braced himself against the table and rubbed his gut.**

" **Secondly, like I said before, Yang is** _ **off-limits**_ **. Got it?" The whiskered blond growled again.**

"…I like this side of him." The blonde admitted with pink cheeks.

"Great, she gets off on violence."

Yang punched her sister's partner's arm and glared at the heiress. "Firstly, I do _not_. Secondly, I meant how cute and protective he is of me! It's endearing."

" **Crystal," the man wheezed. He coughed and took Sun's punch, getting an affronted cry from the Faunus, before he downed it in one go.**

" **Aw, so sweet of you to protect me, Naruto, but I told you before-"**

" **Yang, trust me. Unless I tell him otherwise, he'd be hounding after you from the tree outside your room." Naruto cut his girlfriend off dryly. Naruto's godfather nodded and set Sun's cup down.**

" **It's true, I'd do it." He admitted without shame.**

"Can't we just call security on him?" Weiss whined.

"I don't think we can." Ruby told her.

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms in discontent.

 **He moved up on the list for his blunt honesty about who he is and what he is, that's admirable in Yang's book. The white-haired man pulled a chair out and plopped a squat next to his godson before he gave Yang a kinder, more natural smile, like that of a young grandfather.**

" **The name's Jiraiya," he said.**

" **Yang Xiao-Long." Yang returned.**

" **Ooh, I like that. Rolls right off the tongue." His notebook popped out and was scribbled in for a second before Naruto made a reach for it. Jiraiya slapped his godson's hand away and tucked the notebook back in his pocket. Well damn, now Yang wanted to know what** _ **he**_ **wrote on** _ **top**_ **of what Naruto's secret was.**

Yang pouted. "It's just not my day this episode."

" **Well, it's nice to meet the brat's first girlfriend." Jiraiya clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Way to go, kid! I'm proud of you! First one's a knockout-!"**

" **He's/I've had a girlfriend before." Yang and Naruto cut Jiraiya off, the former a bit sour while the latter seemed tired of repeating himself.**

" **...Wait, for real!?" Jiraiya asked before he looked at Naruto. "What lies have you told this girl? Did you tell her that your heart was broken, your will to live ended until your eyes fell upon hers!? Using your gifts to wrongfully snare such a beauty..."**

"…Wow, if we didn't know the truth, that'd make Naruto a real dick." Jaune said with a wide-eyed look.

"I already think he is one." Weiss said.

"Jiraiya doesn't believe Naruto." Blake explained tiredly while she pinched her nose. Subtext was _not_ her friends' forte. "So he's taking a shot at his honest attributes. Naruto hasn't once lied outright to Yang concerning who he is and what he does."

"...Ohhh." Jaune nodded. He leaned over to Pyrrha. "Is she right?"

"Yes, Jaune."

"...Ah. My bad." Jaune sat back and grimaced.

 **Tears streaming down his eyes, Jiraiya began to wipe his arm across his face as he sniffled and smiled with warbling lips.**

" **I've taught you so well!" he bawled.**

 **Naruto dropped his face into his hands and let out a groan. Yang rubbed his back while she and Sun laughed and Blake smirked at his misery.**

"Wow, so Blake's a sadist, huh? Should have seen that one coming with her favorite genre."

"I am not a sadist!" Blake hissed, looking visibly pink.

" **Oum hates me, I'm sure of it."**

" **No he doesn't," Yang said with a smile. "This is just balance, Whisker Boy. After all, you're dating me, remember?"**

" **True..." Naruto mused as he started to calm down.**

" **Speaking of balance...Mind telling this curious old man what your BWH is?"**

" **You slimy ol' – What did I just say!?" Never mind.**

"That's a secret." Yang winked with a finger pressed against her lips.

"Not really, I know it," Ruby said. "I had to do your laundry more than once."

"So did I." Weiss and Blake added.

Yang pouted. "You guys are stinkers."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXI: Dogs of War**

Song: "Closer (English Version)" – Joe Inoue

Track time(s): (0:00-0:20) (0:38-1:20) (2:56-3:26)

Run time: 1:32

 **[** _ **All that is near us we must know**_ **/** _ **Could disappear any day, be careful**_ **/** _ **The main key to finding happiness**_ **/** _ **Lies nowhere else but in my soul.**_ **]**

 **[During the opening lyrics, there's Beowolf, Ursa and Creeps charging at the gates of Vale on a bright day. The Grimm leap to charge but are taken down by various ammunition. The camera swivels quickly as the end of the first line comes and an instrumental takes over, revealing Team NHKS as the defenders, flanked on either side by teams JNPR and RWBY. The camera rises past them into the sunny sky where the title shimmers into view.]**

"Whoa, awesome new opening!" Ruby beamed.

"It is...Very uplifting." Pyrrha nodded with a small smile.

 **[** _ **You could reminisce, you could recall**_ **/** _ **The very last time you felt joy**_ **/** _ **Or maybe you're so blessed to a point**_ **/** _ **Where you can't remember anything**_ **/** _ **It's a harmony a miracle**_ **/** _ **Being able to breathe and live at all**_ **/** _ **So here is your one and only chance**_ **/** _ **Life is an opportunity!**_ **]**

 **[As the next verses play, it shows Team NHKS stepping off of a Bullhead with Jiraiya. The camera focuses on his grin as he leads the four boys off to their next mission. The screen fades into interactions between Kurama and Haku opposite of Coco and Velvet; a weary and tired Sasuke faces down Itachi; and Naruto and Jiraiya, the former glaring at the smirking latter. Then Naruto leapt at Jiraiya with his fist pulled back on the word 'opportunity'.]**

 **[** _ **All that is near us we must know**_ **/** _ **Could disappear any day, be careful**_ **/** _ **The main key to finding happiness**_ **/** _ **Lies nowhere else but in my soul**_ **/** _ **You know the closer you are to something**_ **/** _ **The tougher it is to see it**_ **/** _ **And I'll never take it for granted...**_ **]**

 **[The chorus begins with Naruto's punch shifting back to a younger Naruto, around age twelve or so, trying the same thing. Jiraiya dances around him and tosses him over his shoulder at a tree. The young Naruto dissolves into the modern Naruto, leaning against a wall and pushing off with a grin as Yang walks up to him. They walk off screen and the scene shifts to Sasuke, Nora, Ruby and Jaune gaming while their teammates sit in the background and watch. The serene moment shifts into a fight between Team NHKS and a horde of Grimm as the next lines start.]**

 **[** _ **Everybody tells you from time to time**_ **/** _ **To never give up like a phrase from a movie**_ **/** _ **They tell you to stand up for yourself**_ **/** _ **As if it were always that easy**_ **/** _ **Gather a handful of courage in my heart**_ **/** _ **To go on and survive another day**_ **/** _ **And I'll never take it for granted**_ **/** _ **Let's go!**_ **]**

 **[Naruto punches back several Borbatusk and Haku's whip brings down a few Beowolves. Sasuke eradicates a large amount of Grimm with his lighting strike before the camera zooms in on Kurama preparing a massive dark blast at the end of his spear. The camera transitions from the dark blast to show the shadowy ringed-eye figures fighting against Jiraiya, the white haired man's normal tears and eyes now blinding gold. He prepares a ball of golden aura that shifts the camera once more to Naruto's own golden orb, this being used as a demonstration in class. It zooms in on Naruto as he slams the attack into a wall, the rubble and dust clearing to show the title card once more (Let's Go!).]**

"Awesome." Yang, Ruby and Nora awed at the destruction.

"I like it." Pyrrha admitted with a small smile. She frowned. "Though the fight is concerning."

"Yeah, but-Hooray! Zwei!" Ruby cut herself off with a squeal and Yang grinned as the title appeared on the screen. Weiss tried her best not to look as eager as the two sisters, but failed. Blake openly sulked, her head hanging.

Jaune scratched his head. "What's a Zwei?"

"He's a dog." Blake groaned.

"...You have a dog?" Jaune asked. "But aren't you a-?"

"He's _our_ dog." Yang corrected as she pointed at herself and Ruby.

"Ohh."

 **"Tell me I imagined that. That wasn't what I thought it was, was it?" Kurama asked as he stared at the door to his team's room.**

 **The dance had ended on a high note for everyone – even though Naruto had to suffer through his godfather's antics, poor bastard. Kurama even received a sweet and quick peck from his date (which would not be told of to his teammates)**

"Ha! But we know!" Jaune declared with triumph.

 **after he walked her back to her dorm room. The morning after started normally – Kurama 'saw' various aura reserves in beds where they shouldn't be, felt their unease or annoyance or whatever emotion was going through their head, basically what happened after most teen attended dances. However, it was after Naruto had finished his morning rituals that they heard it. Kurama at first played it off as a trick of his ears.**

 **But then it came again. Twice in the span of a minute was not a good sign.**

"Sigh of what?" Ruby looked confused.

 **"Well, maybe someone's watching a video," Sasuke said uncertainly. Rooms were supposed to be soundproofed, and they only weren't if a door or window was open. Sasuke turned to the near window and grimaced. It was opened to a crack.**

 **"Son of a..." The raven-haired teen rose from his bed to shut the window.**

 **"I'll go check it out if you want," Naruto said to the Faunus.**

 **"Please do. If it is what I think it is..." Kurama growled lowly in the back of his throat while his tail swished. His knuckles whitened as his grip around his ever-present staff tightened.**

"He's not good with dogs, is he?" Jaune pointed out the obvious.

"I don't think so." Pyrrha agreed.

 **"Haku, keep an eye on him." Naruto told his teammate before he stepped out and closed the door behind him. Haku arched a brow at the order and looked at Kurama.**

 **"Care to explain?" He asked. The androgynous boy was surprised when Kurama growled at him.**

 **"Give me cheek, Yuki, and I'll make sure that every female on campus slaps yours." Kurama waited until Haku nodded before he crossed his arms.**

"Whoa…that's tempting, right Weiss?"

"Yang, shut up!" Weiss glared at the blonde with red cheeks.

"But that Trap booty!"

 **"In Kon there's a family of** _ **canine**_ **themed humans who train their pets for battle. One such owner decided to have a 'Fox Hunt'."**

Blake gasped, "Those bastards!" she declared with venom.

 **"...Oh my..." Haku's thoughts ran wild.**

 **"Don't believe that load for a second," Sasuke said quickly before Haku got the wrong idea. He smirked at Kurama. "Sir Pity-Party here was just chased up a tree before he recovered from his instincts when he was a kid. The whole thing was hilarious, really. A snack landed in the back of his pants and the dog it was meant for chased him."**

"…Oh." Blake said, clearing her throat, and looking visibly embarrassed.

 **"Screw you, Uchiha! Like you don't know what it's like to be controlled by pure unadulterated fear and adrenaline!"**

 **"At least I never crapped my pants when I was seven."**

"Oh snap." Ren blinked, "You don't say that."

"Why? Didn't you pee the bed until you were ten?"

Ren glared daggers at Nora for that little secret.

His friends tried their best not to snort or snicker.

They failed, epically.

 **Kurama roared and leapt at Sasuke. His hands wrapped around the raven-haired teen's neck with the intent to choke him unconscious (or, so Haku hoped). Haku stood off to the side and watched as the two partners rolled across the floor of the room, each choking each other. It was sadly a far too common thing. Haku sighed.**

 _ **He could've just said he's afraid of dogs.**_

"We don't voice this aloud," Blake said sternly.

 **Naruto didn't know what he expected when he was welcomed into Team RWBY's room, but seeing Bell perched on what had to be the most precarious bunk bed he'd ever seen on his life was not one of them. Nor did he expect to see the grey-furred little mammal standing at the bottom of the bunks, barking up at Blake. Two triangular ears stood alert on the dog's head and, when he stepped in, two green eyes turned toward him and another bark was given before the source of Kurama's fear leapt at him. The whiskered blond caught the corgi in the air and held him, a very lucky him who still had some parts most pet owners removed, away as the pink tongue licked the air.**

"We would never do that to Zwei! We want him to have puppies!" Ruby declared sternly.

"Yeah, we want more puppies!" Yang agreed.

"…I wouldn't be opposed to this…can I have one?" Weiss asked.

"Of course!"

Blake hissed in disapproval.

 **"Ah-ah-ah! I've already had a shower today, thanks." Naruto denied the small dog with an amused smile. His eyes drifted over to his girlfriend and then her younger sister. "I take it this is Zwei?"**

 **"Yep!" Ruby chirped as she plucked the corgi from Naruto's hands.**

 **"And he's gonna stay wif us foweva and – er, I mean, ahem. Ruby and Yang's father sent that m-mangy mutt in the mail." Weiss quickly recovered as she looked away from Zwei's face. Naruto grinned and pointed at her.**

 **"Keep an eye on those cracks in the Weiss, girls. Tell me if they get bigger," he said.**

"…That was terrible." Weiss scowled.

"Meh, seven out of ten." Yang, the Pun Master, graded.

 **Yang snickered at the mediocre pun and stepped over to her beau's side, her arm slipping around his waist while his instinctively fell over her shoulders.**

 **"Not bad, Naruto, but you gotta up your game a bit with our precious wittwe pwincess," Yang said with a perfect imitation of Weiss' baby talk.**

 **"I hate you both." Weiss huffed, her cheeks red.**

 **"We bask in your hatred!" The couple declared proudly. Zwei barked eagerly and scrambled from Ruby's hands to start sniffing the newcomer. Naruto didn't mind and even parted from Yang to kneel down and start petting the corgi on the head.**

 **"So, your dad sent him, huh? Weird how we were just talking about him last night," Naruto said with a look aimed at Ruby.**

 **"Wow, you're right...That is a weird coincidence." Ruby nodded.**

 **Naruto stared at her dryly and shook his head while Zwei licked his hand. He didn't** _ **believe**_ **in coincidences. But, then again, he was trained by possibly the best in the business of intelligence gathering. Coincidences in that line of work usually never turned out well, and that belief was handed down from master to student.**

"He's just a dog, Uzumaki, stop being paranoid." Weiss frowned, Zwei was too precious to be a bad thing.

 **"Well, guess you can cross Zwei off your list," Ruby said, which earned her another look from Naruto, as well as a few confused ones from her teammates. Ruby blinked. "What?"**

 **"You're so horribly naive that it's adorkable." Naruto sighed as he got back to his feet.**

"I am not." Ruby whined.

Yang ruffled her hair. "You are, embrace it!"

 **"What list?" Yang asked curiously.**

 **"A list of...Uhh..." Ruby suddenly found herself speechless as a cold chill ran up her spine. Her eyes were locked with Naruto's for only a second before flashes of horrible events went through her mind. Cookies being drained of sugar, the world's supply of ice cream running out, and all candy being outlawed...Ruby's skin turned paler, if possible.**

"…THAT VILE MONSTER!" Ruby cried out, fear and fury in her eyes as she shakily pointed at Naruto.

"He would do that I bet."

"Not helping, Nora!"

 **She began to tremble where she stood before he knees gave out.**

 **"Hm, I think she's coming down from a sugar high," Naruto said with a feigned look of concern on his face. He was** _ **not**_ **going to let Yang tease him over getting her father, uncle and** _ **dog**_ **'s approval.**

"I _would_ tease him." Yang agreed with a nod.

 **Not when she was already so Hell bent on learning the secret he told Blake the other night. Speaking of Blake... Naruto shifted his gaze to the Faunus.**

 **"Why are you hiding up there, Bell?" Blake turned her attention toward him.**

 **"I'm not hiding." She robotically denied.**

"I'm resting, up high."

"Uh-huh, sure." Yang grinned teasingly.

 **"Yeah, sure, and I'm no longer addicted to Ramen." Naruto scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.**

 **"That'll be the day," Weiss said with a snort. She knelt down and began to coo at and pet Zwei while the others were distracted.**

 **"To be precise, the day an Uzumaki denies Ramen is the day that Remnant ends. So it has been prophesized, so it shall be," Naruto said while he kept his gaze locked with Blake.**

"I'd believe it." Blake dryly agreed.

 **"...I actually believe that." The Faunus dryly returned.**

 **"At least you're honest there."**

"Shots fired~" Nora sang out.

 **"What is that supposed to mean?"**

 **"What do you think I mean?" Naruto asked. A smirk spread across his face and Blake paused for a few seconds before her face turned red. She ducked down out of sight.**

 **"Not funny, Naruto."**

 **"How do you think I feel?"**

 **Yang looked between the two and pouted.**

 **"Hey, if you guys are going to flirt, the least you could do is let me in on it!" She complained.**

"A three-way? I'm strangely not opposed to this."

"Yang!" Blake turned as red as her other.

"What? You got the Bellabooty and he got the Narutushie!"

"...Sleep with one eye open," Blake said with a dark glare.

Jaune was drumming his fingers on the arm of his couch. "So unfair."

 **Blake turned a darker shade of red while Naruto gave her apologetic look.**

 **"Sorry, Hon," he said. Yang glanced at him and smirked.**

 **"Okay, I like that one," she said. Her arms slowly wrapped around his waist. "Sounds mature. Very sexy."**

 **"Yeah? I can do mature." Naruto's voice became a bit huskier and his hands settled on her hips. They leaned closer to each other and –**

 **"Zwei, Yang's breaking Dad's dating rule!"**

"…Bitch." Yang gave Ruby a look of betrayal and hurt.

Ruby crossed her arms, a smug look on her face, "I'm merely enforcing the rules, Yang. Tis my duty as the leader of Team RWBY!"

"…Bitch…"

 **Naruto was suddenly tackled into the hallway by a canine missile. Yang glared at Ruby for getting Zwei to attack her boyfriend right when they were about to make out, and Ruby smirked proudly back at her.**

 **"No kissing boys in the house."**

 **"We're not at home and Dad's not even here!"**

 **"Zwei doesn't care. He's trained too well." Ruby pointed out victoriously.**

"Zwei, _why_?!" Yang tearfully cried out at her dog.

 **"He's a good dog." Weiss agreed, a smirk on her face as she watched Zwei assault Naruto's face with vicious licks.**

 **"Gah, get him off-oh gross, he slipped me tongue!" Naruto audibly gagged while Yang and Ruby argued over where their house rules needed to be applied. Blake grimaced in Naruto's defense while Weiss sided with Ruby. What was really horrible about the situation was that none of the four girls moved to save the whiskered teen from Zwei's affection as they all got sucked into defining where Yang's PDA was allowed. By the time they did, they found Zwei hogtied by some sort of wire and panting happily without a care in the world while a sticky note was taped to his forehead.**

"Zwei!" Ruby cried out. She held up her fist. "That vile fiend! Zwei will be avenged! This I swear!"

 **Yang plucked the note from Zwei's head and furrowed her brows as she read it.**

 **"'Dear Girls, decided to go join my team. Sorry about Zwei, but he likes me. A lot. See you around – Love you,** _ **Honey**_ **. Naruto.' Aww...such a sweetheart."**

"D'aww." Yang, Nora and Pyrrha agreed.

 **"Is that all it says?" Weiss asked as she and Ruby worked on the knot keeping Zwei's legs bound. The heiress' brows furrowed in frustration when she found** _ **another**_ **knot beneath the first. "What the heck – how did he do this while we weren't looking?"**

"I think it's a constrictor knot." Jaune narrowed his eyes as he viewed the scene.

 **"Oh, there is more." Yang mused as she flipped the note over. "'P.S.: I do a lot of things when you're not looking, Sneeze.'"**

 **"...How did he know I was going to–?"**

 **"'P.P.S.: I am a ninja. Fear my ninja-tude.'" Yang frowned. "Okay, I don't get it."**

"…May he rot." Weiss frowned with an irritated look on her face.

 **"You had to be there." Blake smirked in amusement.**

"That's what she said!" Nora tossed.

"What does that even mean in this situation?" Ruby asked.

Nora gave the young girl a chiding look, "Humph, I'm not explaining this every time, Ruby."

 **Three men occupied the clock tower of Beacon, each a good distance from the other and all seemingly at peace. Seemingly, like the world they lived in. They represented their kingdoms well. Atlas' iron façade of strength and militaristic order present in the General's posture and gaze. Vale's cheerful mask of professionalism while calculating possible outcomes could be seen in Professor Ozpin's small smile as he poured himself a fresh cup of tea. And to top it off, Jiraiya displayed Vacuo's common guise well as he feigned disinterest in the situation and simultaneously drawing attention to himself while he went through his notes.**

 **Really all they needed was someone from Mistral trying to find their tells in an effort to 'win' and there'd be a full set in one room.**

"Boo, now this looks boring." Nora said with sagged shoulders.

"No, we can see what the adults are doing now." Weiss disagreed with a gleam in her eyes.

 **"So...hearing Ms. Rose's testimony, what do you two think?" Ozpin broke the silence before he lifted his tea to sip from it.**

 **"Honestly? That girl is going to wind up marrying the first guy she genuinely falls in love with, and knowing the universal balance of such a thing, the guy is going to be all around nice dude, if a bit quiet. My money's on a wannabe author," Jiraiya said with a smile.**

"Huh, that's interesting," Yang tilted her head, "With her introvert personality, I was gunning for a girl to pull her out of her shell."

"Yang!"

"What? I still love you either which way you swing, Rubes. Big sis sends her supportive kisses!"

Personally, Yang was gunning for Ice Flower.

Ruby suddenly felt like punching her sister and Weiss felt the same.

 **A super pervert he was, but he was also a hardcore romantic. To preserve such innocence, he decided that 'Rosie Rube' was going to be a fantasy cameo; someone Rut Nao would dream about, but not touch.**

 **It was still going to be steamy as fuck, but not an actual 'fling'.**

 **The 'moe' fans would absolutely adore it, though.**

Yang patted her sister's shoulders with pride, "Immortalized, my dearest sister, Im-Mor-Tal-Ized."

"…Suddenly immortality doesn't sound so appealing." Ruby said with tears down her cheeks.

She was not Moe!

Right?

 **Ozpin choked on his drink and Ironwood clapped his hand over his eyes. Jiraiya frowned at their reactions. Everyone presumed so little of him once they found out he was a proud pervert. Honestly, the most they could do is be grateful that he acknowledged it. Jiraiya was certain that he would be** _ **worse**_ **if he tried to deny his debauchery.**

 **Speaking of debauchery, he** _ **had**_ **to set up some sort of camera system in his godson's room. There was no way the boy wasn't playing 'footie' his bombshell of a girlfriend behind closed doors. Yes, yes, he knew that Naruto proclaimed her to be off-limits, and Jiraiya respected such a request, but the boy** _ **had**_ **to know that he himself was going to be inspiration for the series, right?**

Yang cheered.

"Dad's going to sue…with a shotgun." Ruby declared with certainly.

 **Then again, he** _ **is**_ **Minato's son. That damned fool of an apprentice didn't know or recognize that a girl was smitten with him until she walked up, grabbed him by the balls in the public square of Kon, and told everyone flat out: "This is mine! This is where my babies will come from!"**

"…Now that's who I want to be when I grow up." Yang said with awe.

 **Coincidentally, Kushina Uzumaki was a very brash and blunt woman, and** _ **very**_ **persuasive when she was angry or emotional about something.**

"And we could have such beautiful moments together! Why is the world so cruel!" Yang wailed into Blake's shoulder. Blake tried to pry her off, but it was futile. The blonde was too strong.

 **That wasn't to say Minato didn't have a temper, he was far more** _ **tactical**_ **than his beloved wife.**

 **Jiraiya shivered. He could still remember the day that he'd foolishly gone against Minato's 'request' of not spying on Kushina. Minato wasn't pleased and got his revenge. (Oh,** _ **boy**_ **, did he get his revenge!) Thinking about it made Jiraiya downright horrified.**

 **Let's just say Naruto's creative use of household items and/or food in his pranks did** _ **not**_ **come from his mother's side of the family.**

"And now I want to know." Nora pouted, "Why do they have to leave it unsaid!"

"For the drama of it all." Blake told the hyperactive girl.

 **With his thoughts returning to his Godson, Jiraiya began to stroke his chin. The boy's claim of having prior experience with the opposite sex was something Jiraiya always believed to be true – this was** _ **his**_ **godson he was talking about here – but the significant lack of evidence was disconcerting to the super pervert. There was also a lack of any signs of sexual repression, but Jiraiya attributed that to Naruto's warrior spirit being far stronger than his lust. However, like a coiled spring, some things could not be contained forever. Eventually something will give way, but at this rate, that would take** _ **years**_ **.**

Yang looked thoughtful and gleeful.

"Yang, can you not cream your panties right now?"

"I'll try Blake-y, but I make _no_ promises."

 _ **That boy's repressed needs and desires will build and build until finally he can stand no more! He'll ravish the first beauty in sight and I will, no,**_ **must** _ **be there to capture it for the good of my nov-er, legacy!**_

"I wonder if he gets movie deals?" Yang asked curiously.

Blake's ears shot upwards at the thought of a Ninjas of Love movie. It must happen, it must!

She failed at hiding her eager anticipation.

 _ **But how do I anticipate such a natural reaction? Hmm, well, I could have him write another chapter for me, or edit one. Oh! Better idea! I could take him to a strip clu-!**_

 **"Lord Jiraiya!" Ozpin's disapproving tone snapped Jiraiya from his thoughts on how he was going to influence his godson more than he already had.**

 **"What?" Jiraiya asked in mild annoyance.**

 **"Do not speculate about my students in such a manner!" Ozpin scowled at the man. He was so grateful that Glynda was not present. The last thing he needed was to have** _ **another**_ **incident between Jiraiya and Glynda.**

"…I would pay to see that." Jaune said with a smile.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha sighed.

"What? It would be a good fight, I'm sure!"

 **"You asked what I thought, Ozzy." Jiraiya shrugged and tucked his notebook away. He folded his arms over his chest and smirked at the headmaster. "I gave you an answer."**

"Just, you know, not that one he was looking for. At all." Weiss drawled.

 **"...Quite." Ozpin's nostrils flared briefly before he looked at the Atlesian. "General?"**

 **"The girl wasn't lying." Ironwood simply replied. His eyes narrowed. "And we certainly aren't getting closer to finding out who's behind the unity between the Fourth War and the White Fang. Supplying them with Atlas' stolen and replicated technology..."**

 **"James..." Ozpin warned his friend.**

 **"What we need is some unnatural luck that turns a normal situation into a disaster," Jiraiya said. He tapped his chin and a small grin spread across his face. "You know, that girl sort of reminds me a lot of someone I know who tends to have that sort of luck.**

"My luck is not that bad, or that good." Ruby frowned.

"It is." Her team disagreed.

 **I think I have an idea that could help you find what you're looking for."**

 **Ozpin and the General shared a wary look before they turned back to the older man.**

 **"If you have any information that could help us-" Ironwood began.**

 **"Oh, cool your jets, Jimmy. I've got a lead I want to follow, but I think I'll need some help on the way." Jiraiya gave a pointed look to Ozpin.**

 **"...Well, I'm sure their, ahem, mother hen wouldn't mind a day to spend with his fiancé," Ozpin said neutrally.**

 **"Alright then, I'll go get a Bullhead ready. Maybe a radio." Jiraiya hummed in thought before he burst into laughter and walked out of the office. "Yeah right! Me? With a radio?"**

"Ah what?" The group blinked in confusion and consulted their scrolls. Each entered the same question into the search bar: What is a radio?

 **The door slid shut behind him and Ironwood turned to his friend and fellow headmaster.**

 **"Have I ever told you how much I** _ **despise**_ **that man?" the Atlesian asked. The Beacon headmaster sighed.**

 **"Many, many times."**

 **"Let me say it once more: I utterly and completely** _ **loathe**_ **that man." Ironwood sighed. "But damn if he isn't good at what he does."**

"A shame. We still have need of him, then." Weiss sighed tiredly.

 **Ozpin arched a brow. "Are you talking about his information gathering skills or his writing skills?"**

 **"...Either?"**

 **"Well, at least we're agreed on that." Ozpin sighed. A beat passed. Ironwood shifted uncomfortably and looked to the side.**

 **"Are you caught up on the series yet?" The question made the Beacon headmaster hesitate.**

"…No," Weiss said sternly.

"Wow, even the Headmasters…" Blake tilted her head.

"No. No! NO!" Weiss seethed.

 **"...Yes."**

 **"He's going to start the next one soon."**

 **"Indeed."**

"Dammit!"

"Weiss, I never thought you'd be swearing over this," Pyrrha said to the girl.

 **Ironwood drummed his fingers and then sighed as he looked at the slightly perturbed man seated across from him.**

 **"We're not horrible people, are we, Ozpin?"**

"You are." Weiss scowled. "You, who represent our Kingdoms, very much _are_ horrible people!"

"I think having a few pervs in-charge is okay. As long as they aren't on Jiraiya's level." Yang shrugged.

"Silence! I'm scolding the people on screen."

"She just does that because she can't do it in real life." Blake smirked.

Weiss' eye twitched.

 **"I certainly hope not."**

 **"I mean, he is technically that boy's godfather and he's got more sway than we do, right?"**

 **"Of course."**

 **"And the identities are protected, aren't they?"**

"They better be," Yang frowned. "While I'm all for fame, I don't do paparazzi that well."

 **"...Ahem, y-yes, yes they are. Usually."**

 **There was another moment of silence, before Ozpin broke it.**

 **"You don't think he'd...?"**

 **"No! No, I mean, it's his godson!"**

 **"Right, right, of course. Just a moment of brief concern."**

 **"Understandable."**

 **"...Still..."**

"Naruto's doomed." Ren summed up the men's thoughts.

 **Naruto shifted uncomfortably as he and his team sat waiting patiently for their Bullhead to take off. Asuma had cut them all off on their way to the meeting room, saying that they had been handpicked by a supervisor for a specific mission that he didn't give them** _ **any**_ **details about. Now, Naruto wasn't afraid of surprises, hell, he wasn't really afraid of anything really – That is, if you didn't count his phobia of ghosts (What? Years of growing up alone in a small and old apartment, as well as a lack of parental love and/or protection from such 'terrors' had done well to turn what was a childish fear into a very paralyzing phobia. Was it embarrassing? Yes. Did Naruto really care? No.**

"Huh, so no ghost movies, got it." Yang nodded in understanding. Scaring the boytoy shitless wasn't on her to-do list right off the bat. Maybe down the line, though.

 **He was brown-pants-required afraid of ghosts, and while he had accepted it, it still didn't change the fact that he couldn't punch a ghost square in the face.) – But if you were going to be a Huntsman or Huntress, the one thing you wanted more than anything else before a mission started was information** _ **about**_ **the mission.**

 **Needless to say, not having any information was rattling Naruto's nerves a tad.**

 **It didn't help that he wasn't the only one on edge.**

 **"I can't believe they have a** _ **mongrel**_ **." Kurama grumbled with a scowl.**

"Hey!" Ruby pointed at the screen. "You cool your jets mister, no one bad mouths Zwei. No one!"

 **His lip was curled up in a snarl and he glared daggers at Naruto, his sunglasses flashing red every other few seconds. His nose crinkled up in disgust. "You smell absolutely** _ **disgusting**_ **."**

"I brush and floss Zwei's teeth every morning!"

 **"Thank you." Naruto replied snidely.**

 **"Please don't fight." Haku tiredly requested from where he sat on Kurama's left while Sasuke and Naruto sat opposite them. It had taken him a good few minutes to pry their Faunus teammate off of the lightning user when the latter started to turn blue.**

 **"Whatever." "Wasn't planning to."**

 **"Ah, good boys! You all got here on time without killing each other. I knew you'd start to grow up sooner or later."**

 **Naruto froze, now as pale as Ruby's skin was when he heard the voice of not an old pervert, but of an experienced warrior.**

"That…does not bode well." Pyrrha frowned.

 **Robotically, he turned to see the grinning face of his godfather standing outside of the bullhead. A shiver went down Naruto's spine and he swallowed. Jiraiya's presence didn't bode well for him, and it wasn't because he knew the man would pump him for information on Emerald and Yang.**

Pyrrha silently pumped her fist, she called it!

 **"Old Toad." Sasuke and Kurama greeted coolly.**

 **"Fanboy. Kit." Jiraiya nodded at them and smirked when they glared at him. He plopped down in the seat next to Haku. His arm draped over the back of Haku's seat and he grinned.**

 **"How ya doin' beautiful?"**

"And now the freak-out." Weiss said with a sadistic gleam in her eyes.

 **Naruto's worry left him and he joined his friends in grinning while his partner sighed in dismay. If there was one thing he loved about having a shameless lecher for a godfather, it was his inability to pass up a chance to flirt. Something that really put a knot in Sun's tail when Jiraiya turned his attention to Blake, considering Yang was off-limits. Blake, however, was crossed between being flattered and disgusted, and the latter increased once Naruto informed Jiraiya of her fondness for his work. Why was she not flattered? Well, Jiraiya asked if she wanted to help him work on the next one personally. Alone. In his hotel room.**

 **He got a smack on the face for his effort.**

"…I hope I drew blood." Blake scowled.

"I pray you did as well, Blake." Weiss said with a firm nod.

 **"I'm a boy." Haku corrected the old man before he made any further advances.**

 **Jiraiya squinted and leaned uncomfortably close to Haku's face, disregarding the meaning of the words 'personal space' and making the androgynous boy shift in his seat. Naruto, Sasuke and Kurama got to watch Haku squirm for a solid three minutes before he was given some relief when Jiraiya moved away.**

 **"...Huh, I'll be damned. So you are." Jiraiya mused lightly as he moved one seat away from the girly-boy. "Sorry about that, usually I can spot a fem-boy."**

"What? He doesn't freak out…" Weiss pouted in disappointment.

Ruby just patted her shoulder awkwardly. "There, there?"

 **"You're an ol' fart, Pervy Sage." Naruto snorted and smirked as he slumped down in his seat. "Eyes must be going bad."**

 **"Shut up, pipsqueak." Jiraiya glared at him.**

 **"To be fair, Sasuke couldn't tell either." Kurama added nonchalantly. Sasuke glared at the smirking Faunus.**

 **"Shut it, Fox."**

 **"Payback's a bitch, Uchiha."**

"Indeed it is! And its name is Yang!" Yang beamed.

"I thought it was Karma?" Nora asked.

"That, too."

 **"Alright, alright, settle down, brats." Jiraiya waved at the two partners to keep them in their seats. He leaned back and knocked on the metal. "Hey, fly guy, you ready to go or what?"**

 **"** _ **Ready and waiting, Lord Jiraiya**_ **," the pilot said in return.**

 **"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going already!"**

 **"** _ **Coordinates, Sir?**_ **"**

 **"Ah, right." The Sage chuckled sheepishly and pulled out his scroll. The engines of the Bullhead started up and the four students remained quiet as Jiraiya listed off the coordinates of their destination. Naruto furrowed his brows when Jiraiya finished. This was one of those times he wished he paid a tad bit more attention in Kon Academy. He had** _ **absolutely**_ **no idea where they were going.**

"Geography was kinda boring." Ruby nodded in agreement.

"No wonder you didn't know where you were going in the Emerald Forest."

Ruby sputtered at Weiss. "You didn't know either!"

 **Jiraiya turned back to the boys and smirked.**

 **"So, it's going to be a while before we get there." The old man began. He put his scroll away and pulled out his notepad, grinning at the four teens. "Who wants to pass the time by telling me when my beloved godson popped his girlfriend cherry?"**

"…I'm not his first girlfriend." Yang pouted with crossed arms. She hated that bitch. Not the real Emerald, the one they knew, but the one in the alternate verse...

 **Any concern of Naruto's lack of knowledge on their mission flew out the window as outrage filled him like a burning liquid.**

 **"I've had a girlfriend before Yang, dammit!"**

 **"It's true." Kurama nodded. He smirked and sat forward. "In fact, she's some unknown girl who snuck into Haven."**

 **"Ooh, saucy...Tell me more, Kurama." Jiraiya giggled out. Sasuke smirked and Haku chuckled lightly while Naruto groaned into his hand. He was right: Jiraiya was going to use him for inspiration.**

 **"Well, apparently it all began after you brought him back to finish his schooling..."**

 **"You sly little bastard...Give me details, skin, hair, eyes, breasts, ass, leave nothing out!"**

"Like she has much of it." Yang muttered with irritation.

"I don't know, she has a certain allure." Ren commented. He got a pancake in the face for his answer.

Yang sent Nora a grateful nod.

 **Naruto covered his face in shame as his godfather and teammate began to have an excited conversation about his ex-girlfriend right in front of him. Haku moved to sit on his other side and give him a comforting pat on the shoulder (as well as escape being between the two deviants) while Sasuke pulled his Scroll out and began to play a game he'd installed on it. The whiskered blond only hoped that this mission was as exciting as most of his adventures with Jiraiya were.**

 **Then he'd be able to forget this moment and hopefully, his team did, too.**

"But we won't." Jaune grinned at the screen.

"I want to."

Weiss smirked at the pouty blonde. "We can't always get what we want, Yang."

Yang gave her the one finger salute in response.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **. Nor do I have any right to the** _ **Tremors**_ **franchise.**

 **Reading Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXII: Heirloom**

"I wonder whose heirloom..." Ren mused while he stroked his chin after the title brushed by the screen.

 **"That flight was way too** _ **long**_ **, this'd better be worth it, Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted over the roar of the engine as he and his team disembarked from the Bullhead behind Jiraiya. His eyes squinted when the harsh sunlight assaulted them, only relaxing when he lifted a hand up to shield them.**

 **"Well if you had decided to** _ **partake**_ **in the conversation it would've gone faster for you, Brat." Jiraiya huffed, ignoring the stink eye that his godson gave him in return. He sent a grin over his shoulder at his followers. "Ah, where's your sense of adventure gone, Naruto? Don't tell me that you've started to convert into a scholar!"**

Yang pursed her lips. "That'd make him boring. Those nerd types are more up Weiss' alley."

"Intellectuals." Weiss snapped at her teammate and then flushed when she realized what she said.

 **"That's like saying Kurama is going to go into priesthood!" Sasuke sent a smirk to the Faunus.**

"That _would_ be interesting to see." Blake's tone was even, but the glint in her eyes showed her amusement.

 **"Fuck you, Uchiha!"**

 **"** _ **Lord Jiraiya.**_ **" The Bullhead pilot called from his vehicle's PA system. "** _ **I'm going to have to head over to Shade to refuel, it's closer than Vale is, at this point.**_ **"**

 **"That's fine. Be back here tomorrow by noon!" Jiraiya called back.**

 **The pilot gave him a thumbs up before the Bullhead rose up and flew off. The four teens who'd watched the interaction looked around their landing location. For a few miles there was nothing but desert, and beyond that, to the south at least, there was a mountain range. To the east, another mountain range. And to the west, yet a third mountain range. The northern area was pretty clear, but still, there was a lot of desert.**

"Ugh, talk about a bad hair environment." Weiss frowned, she did not like heated locations.

Yang, on the other hand, beamed. "Now _that_ looks like a tanning spot I could get behind!"

"Didn't you turn red as a lobster the last time you did that?" Ruby asked only to get a pillow thrown in her face.

"Ruby, shush."

 **"...He's brought us here to die." Kurama deduced. He grimaced. "Shit, if I'd thought I was going to die today, I would've at least tried to kiss Vel first."**

"Wow, not even a kiss during the dance? Shame on you, Foxy." Yang shook her head in disappointment.

"Not everyone is ready to jump the gun." Blake told her partner.

"You didn't give Sun a kiss? Shame on you, too."

Blake looked away with pink cheeks.

 **"So there** _ **is**_ **something between you and Velvet." Sasuke accused with a smirk.**

 **"...Oh, damn, I forgot you guys had worse hearing than I do." Kurama grumbled. He'd thought the Bullhead's engines would still cover his musing. The Faunus glared at his teammates and held a finger up, surprisingly not his middle one. "One peep of this to** _ **anyone**_ **– including** _ **your**_ **unholy female duplicate."**

"I'm _all_ holy, thank you very much."

"And full of hot air, but we manage." Ruby added snidely.

"…I would punch you for that, but it was a good burn." Yang admitted.

 **Naruto pursed his lips in mild annoyance when Kurama gave him a pointed look. Why did** _ **everyone**_ **insist on saying that? He wasn't into self-cest, but the similarities between himself and his girlfriend were admittedly high.** _ **Hm, on second thought, if Yang had whiskers on her cheeks and blue eyes instead of lilac... Meh, I prefer her personality. The hot body is just a bonus.**_

"Wisest words we've heard from him yet." Weiss smirked in amusement.

"I think it's rather sweet." Pyrrha smiled.

"Honeyed words and sweet nothings aren't my cup of tea, but he's good. And he's not wrong, it is a nice bonus." The blonde bombshell grinned and intertwined her hands behind her head to show off the 'bonus'.

 **Jiraiya had an urge to cry in pride again, but withheld from doing so.**

 **" – And I'll make sure that the** _ **rumor**_ **starts again." Kurama finished his threat.**

 **"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Sasuke asked challengingly. "We destroyed the negatives, blackmailed the others into silence, and even hid the original photograph in a secure facility where it would be watched over by top men."**

 **"...Who?" Haku asked. Sasuke and Naruto turned to him.**

 **"Top. Men." The words were stern and forceful, telling Haku to drop the matter. When they looked back at Kurama, a picture was held up and the two rivals paled considerably. Haku stared at the picture in shock and Jiraiya whipped out his notebook.**

"The bastard!" Yang shook her fist at the television screen. "Let us see it!"

 **"You guys are an inspiration all on your own! The fans of homosexual erotic-er, romance will lose their shit over this!" The super pervert mumbled to himself.**

 **In the picture were Naruto and Sasuke, possibly ten or twelve, in a classroom. A crowd of girls were in the background, all horrified. The two boys, the focus, had wide eyes filled with disgust, shock, and horror. Why?**

 **Their lips were pressed together.**

"…That's hot." Yang grinned and then frowned. "Oh, right, they're twelve." She grinned again. " _But_ ...if they were older..."

Blake's cheeks burned pink, Weiss looked more than a little red in the face, Ruby was owlish along with Nora and Pyrrha's face matched her hair's shade perfectly.

Jaune and Ren could only feel sorry for the two boys.

That had to suck.

 **"You may have gotten rid of most of the copies...but I made duplicates of the negatives." Kurama finished with a smirk. He folded the picture up and tucked it into his jacket.**

 **"You..." Sasuke failed to find a proper insult that wouldn't come off as racist.**

 **"...Fuzzy-assed bastard." Naruto, however, did not have that problem.**

Blake shook her head. Racist it was not, but it did tread the line. And while she didn't see any harm in it, Naruto should count himself lucky he and Kurama were so close. Most Faunus didn't care to be called either of those two insults separately.

 **"I try." Kurama smirked proudly as Haku looked between the two.**

 **"...I feel as though I'm missing some context here..." He mumbled. Dark brows furrowed together as he looked between his two other teammates. "...Did you two mean to-?"**

 **"No! It was an accident!" Naruto and Sasuke heatedly denied, glaring daggers at the now nervous Haku.**

"They defend it so readily." Yang giggled perversely. Maybe her other could score that threesome.

 **Behind them Jiraiya scribbled furiously into his notepad. This was literary gold! He was going to make a fuckin' mint off of the insinuated love triangle he was developing. Jiraiya almost giggled, but then a faint whisper passed through his head, reminding him of his duty and the reason why the five of them were so far from the school. He sighed.**

 **Stupid voices being right.**

"I know right? So annoying." Nora nodded in sympathy.

She completely ignored the looks that the others gave her.

 **"Okay, that's enough. We can tease the lovers here later." Jiraiya flipped his notebook shut and ignored the heated glares he received from his godson and the raven-haired boy. Jiraiya turned and pointed to the south. "Off we go, to our mission's destination. Allons-y!"**

"I love Physician Inquiry!" Weiss gasped. She coughed into her hand, her cheeks pink as the others looked at her, and recomposed herself. "I mean, it's a decent show. I can't believe such a horrid man knows of it."

"Well, at least we know what to get Weiss for Christmas." Ruby smiled at her partner.

Weiss' ears burned, but she otherwise kept her composure.

 **Jiraiya burst into a light run and was followed immediately by Kurama and Haku. Naruto and Sasuke lingered behind, their eyes twitching in annoyance.**

 **"Naruto. I'm going to kill your godfather."**

 **"Get in line. You can skin Kurama while you're waiting."**

 **"Hopefully he hasn't told anyone." That snapped Naruto from his funk. He swallowed nervously as he glanced at his still seething teammate/friend/rival.**

 **"Y-Yeah. Right...Let's go catch up before they leave us behind."**

 **"Good idea."**

"So _that's_ what he told me about," Blake said with a little blood coming from her nose. Ruby gave her a tissue and asked if she was feeling okay. Blake waved her off and quickly wiped away the blood, ignoring the grin from Yang and the glare from Weiss.

 **About fifteen minutes into their run, a distant town came into view. Jiraiya told them that the town was named 'Rejection', originally a Faunus settlement that slowly grew into fame after the Faunus Rights' War. Today, it was a near ghost town (Naruto did his best to** _ **not**_ **shiver at the mention of his one paralyzing fear), with very few inhabitants of both species, Human and Faunus, living in peace. According to Jiraiya they were here to deal with a Grimm problem, but Naruto found one issue with dealing with this supposed Grimm problem.**

 **There had been no sign of any Grimm for** _ **miles**_ **.**

"That's not good." Ruby furrowed her brow.

"Where are they, _underground_?" Jaune snorted.

"…They might be." Pyrrha mused. "Not every species of Grimm has been categorized, so it's very possible-"

"Uh, I was joking…"

"O-Oh. Right. Sorry."

 **Seriously, not one of the five Huntsmen had caught sight of a single Nevermore, a Deathstalker, or even any Creeps! This is extremely worrying since Creeps could be seen wandering around in packs through the vast desert of Vacuo. The bipedal Grimm were thought to be more accustomed to dry locations than the other known species on Remnant. Even more so than Deathstalkers, who could be found hiding beneath Vacuo's sands, but preferred cooler environments.**

 **Naruto was about to say something when Jiraiya held a hand up and stopped. Team NHKS followed suit and each teen tried to regain their breath during the short break.**

 **"So, Pervy Sage, why'd we stop?" Naruto asked once he got the wind back in his sails.**

 **Jiraiya shushed him and slowly craned his head around. If not for the mane of white locks that fell from the old man's head, the four boys would've seen that his eyes had closed and his nose had gotten a bit larger as well as gained a few more warts.**

"So, he has body alteration?" Ruby wondered if the man used it in battle to make his hands into knives or something.

"It could be a side effect of a Semblance." Ren stated.

Weiss crinkled her nose. "That's a sad side effect. I'd feel worse if it wasn't for such a sad person."

"Ouch, I think we should get the first aid kit for that one." Nora laughed.

 **The difference quickly vanished when his eyes snapped open.**

 **"Nobody move!" He hissed, Naruto strained to hear him. The teens were still for a moment before they felt it. The ground rumbled lightly and to their immediate left there was a spout of dust, like water from a whale's blowhole.**

 **"What the f-?"**

 **"I said shut it!" Jiraiya glared at Sasuke. He turned his attention to the ground. "Watch the dirt."**

"Holy-! They really _are_ underground?!" Jaune gulped.

"That is surprising," Pyrrha said, eyes narrowed and calculative.

 **A mound that spanned over six feet in width slowly rose and fell as it started to circle the five Huntsmen. Naruto grit his teeth in annoyance and felt a bead of sweat form at the side of his head. The mound vanished and near Kurama's feet, the dirt shifted slightly. Jiraiya glared at Kurama, keeping him in place.**

 **"Don't. Move." The older man mouthed. He pressed a finger to his lips and then moved his eyes down to the dirt.**

Everyone was on the edge of their seats. A loud slurp from a straw made the group jump and then glare at Nora, who had a jumbo sized cup in her lap.

"My bad...but I really wanted that last taste!"

"Nora, we'll talk about this later. Right now, let's just watch," Ren said before any tempers could start flying out of control.

 **From the ground emerged a filthy snake-like creature, red in color, with yellow horns sprouting from what Naruto assumed to be the top and bottom of its mouth. His thoughts were confirmed when the creature opened the mouth, revealing dozes of sharp white teeth and gave a small hiss-like shriek before it began to slither around.**

"Oh my god! Nightmare fuel! That is nightmare fuel!" Jaune panicked.

"It looks like that thing I found in Yang's drawer!"

"Hey!" Yang snapped, her face red due to the embarrassment and anger caused by her sister's cry. She glared at her amused teammates. "Shut up, and I'll stop pretending I don't know about-!"

"Fair enough!" The two cut her off, their faces lightly flushed.

 **Naruto twitched his hands and the creature shifted away from Kurama's foot. Two more of the creatures popped from under the dirt and moved towards the blond.**

 **"What are-?" Naruto began to whisper, only to stop when the creatures hissed and 'looked' at him. It was hard to tell when they didn't have eyes. One moved closer to his foot and he lifted it out of instinct. The two others hissed and moved to investigate. Naruto grimaced when Jiraiya glared at him. It wasn't** _ **his**_ **fault the damn things were so weird!**

 **They were also covered in a mix of dirt and some kind of slime.**

 **Gross.**

"Puke-fest alright." Nora blanched, not even a pancake could comfort her right now. ...She would need two. Three tops.

 **Naruto kept his foot up and tried not to wobble. The slimy snakes slithered around the area where his foot was for another moment before they began to slowly retreat into the ground. Naruto, relaxing, let his foot drop back to the ground.**

 **The snakes shot out of the sandy dirt with loud hissing. Haku and Sasuke acted on reflex, their weapons coming alive as they fired dust crystals at the snakes. One head was sliced from the body immediately, and the other had a few new holes in its side. The last and the injured shrieked loudly as they retreated.**

 **"Oh, dammit, you idiots! Don't your teachers teach you anything!?" Jiraiya groaned lowly under his breath.**

"They come in packs, don't they?" Blake asked dryly.

"Probably." Weiss nodded.

"Or maybe there's a leader…" Ruby mumbled while she chewed at her nails, only for her hand to be slapped away from her mouth by her partner.

 **The mound returned between the four teens and started to rise up, further and further, before the ground broke and Team NHKS jumped away, Naruto officially cut off from his group. He could only stare at what had done the deed.**

"No!" Yang wailed in fear. "Save the whiskered sexy one!"

Weiss began chanting 'Eat him' under her breath, much to Blake's amusement.

 **A massive black** _ **worm**_ **emerged from the mound. It had a white beak-like mask on its face, designed with red and yellow lines that seemed faded or caked in dirt. White spikes protruded from its back and sides. The beak – comprised of a large single solid top, a skinny bottom, and two mandibles that extended out from the bottom – opened and a loud roar escaped the Grimm's mouth. The worm fell forward, facing Naruto, and from its open beak, the three slimy snakes slithered out.**

 **"...They're tongues!" Haku exclaimed from behind the creature.**

Jaune gulped and raised a finger in the air, which was then pointed at the creature on the screen. "Correction, _that_ is nightmare fuel."

 **Naruto slammed his fists together and his gauntlets unfolded out over them. The sound made the worm roar again before it trudged forward and dove into the ground. Naruto shifted around, turning and looking for signs of the new foe.**

 **"Naruto, do** _ **not**_ **move!" Jiraiya called from where he stood. "Don't you fuckin'** _ **breathe**_ **!"**

 **Naruto balled his hands into fists. This was like some sort of cheesy horror film. He was not going to die at the hands of some sort of wormy Grimm!**

 **"Screw that! C'mon, you fat son of a-!" Naruto's taunt was cut off as the ground exploded beneath him and he was launched into the air. The worm roared again as he was swallowed whole.**

"NO!" Yang cried out, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. She buried her face into Blake's shoulder. "Why is the world so cruel?!"

Weiss pumped her fist with a grin.

Blake looked at Weiss while absentmindedly and halfheartedly consoling Yang. "You're horrible."

"Shush, we're going to see nature at work." Weiss waved her off.

 **In hindsight, ignoring the older and more experienced Huntsman was probably one of Naruto's dumbest mistakes of his life.**

 **Right up there behind losing his v-card without a condom.**

"He _what_?!" Yang snapped with unholy and possessive rage, looking up from Blake's shoulder with red eyes.

 **As he was swallowed into the worm's giant-ass, Naruto could only think:** _ **Yang is so not going to believe this**_ **.**

"You're right! I can't believe you're so _irresponsible_!" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby scooted away from her sister while Weiss gave the blonde an odd look.

"...You do know you're speaking to a fictional character, right?"

"Did I ask you for your opinion!?"

"Nope." Weiss gave the infuriated blonde a small grin. "But for the record, I'm ecstatic."

"There's still more," Blake said as she kept Yang from leaping at the white haired heiress. She pointed at the paused screen's runtime bar and that seemed to soothe Yang's ruffled feathers.

 **"Naruto is so not going to believe this." Yang mumbled to herself with a smile as she and her team explored the ruins of Vale's failed expansion of Mountain Glenn. Leading them was the hyperactive Zip Master, as Naruto dubbed him, Prof.-er,** _ **Dr**_ **. Oobleck. The caffeinated Huntsman was currently explaining the benefits of Zwei's presence to their objective.**

"Yep, go me!" Ruby beamed at her smartness. (Had she realized she just referred to her luck as 'smartness', she wouldn't feel so smart, but then she wouldn't be Ruby.)

 **"Ruby would make him proud." Blake agreed with a small smile as their leader lied her heart out as to why she brought Zwei along. She was currently standing slightly behind Yang, but close enough to grab her in a moment's notice.**

 **"I can't believe the two of you are siding with him...** _ **again**_ **. He's not even here!" Weiss argued with a small huff.**

"Seriously, they need to lock the two of you in a room or something," Blake said dryly. "Just to get over whatever is going on with you."

"Never!" Weiss and Yang hissed, one in disgust and the other in vehement denial.

 **She had no qualms about Zwei's presence, of course, but the fact Yang and Blake were encouraging Ruby to lie to their teacher and using Naruto as a supportive reason, was mind-boggling to her.**

"It will continue to boggle!" Yang grinned at Weiss, her red eyes dwindling back to the light lilac.

Weiss' scarred eye twitched, her other would get one on that oaf yet! This she swore!

 **"Well, I** _ **am**_ **his girlfriend...So, what's** _ **your**_ **excuse, Blake?" Yang asked, a brow raised as she looked at her partner.**

 **"...We're both ninjas," Blake said stoically. She smirked when Weiss gave her a dry stare.**

 **"Really?"**

 **"You're just jealous of our Ninja-tude."**

Weiss gave the smirking Blake the dirtiest of looks.

"Keep looking at me like that and I might get the wrong idea."

Weiss turned away with a pink face while Yang burst into laughter.

 **"...Ugh..." Weiss groaned as she palmed her face.**

 **"Is that what his secret is?" Yang fished eagerly. Blake's smirk vanished slightly and her cheeks turned pink.**

 **"No."**

 **"Dammit." Yang frowned and crossed her arms. She pursed her lips. "...Did you two have drunk sex or something?"**

Yang gave her partner a scandalized look. "And you didn't invite _me_?!"

"…I'm so sorry." The Faunus said with as much mock sincerity she could muster.

"I'll forgive you...this time." Yang huffed.

 **"When would we have ever done that?" Blake asked lowly.**

 **"Well, you were in the White Fang and moving around..." Yang trailed off as Gambol Shroud's sharp tip pressed against her chin.**

 **"Not here. Not so loud. And for your information Yang, not that it's any of your business, but I haven't done ...** _ **that**_ **with anyone yet. Are we clear?" Blake hissed with narrowed and angry eyes.**

"Good kitty, nice kitty."

"You are so asking for it."

Yang gave Blake a grin. "Was that an offer?"

"To gut you in your sleep."

"Point made."

 **"Like a crystal."**

 **"Good." Blake huffed and sheathed her weapon. Yang waited a moment before she grinned.**

 **"So, why has no one pet the** _ **pussy**_ **yet? Waitin' for the right stud to** _ **monkey**_ **around with?"**

 **"...Weiss, hold her down."**

 **"Oh-ho-ho! Kinky. Shame we don't have a camera. Think of the intake from those sales."**

"I didn't take you as the submissive type." Blake told her giggling partner.

"I-I think that's enough for now," Pyrrha said before Yang could retort. Her face was in danger of releasing steam from how hot it was.

Blake clicked her tongue in annoyance while Yang pouted.

Weiss gave the girl a grateful nod.

 _ **I feel as though I'm missing something amazing right now.**_ **Jiraiya thought to himself with a frown as he and his godson's team followed the Grimm worm that had just eaten Naruto. They remained still, shocked by the sudden devouring of the whiskered blond, as the worm dove into the ground. They were snapped from their shock when they saw the mound speed** _ **away**_ **from them despite the negative emotions they were most likely emitting. Jiraiya had an idea as to why.**

 **"What the hell is this thing?" Kurama asked in annoyance.**

 **"If my guess is right, something that should** _ **not**_ **still exist," Jiraiya said. He scowled as the mound dropped and the worm dove several feet under the dirt. "Oh come on, what is it doing now?"**

 **They felt the ground rumble and looked down. No rising dirt, but what was-?**

 **A public access speaker squealed the life and Kurama's hands clapped over his ears.**

 **"Gah – son of a bitch! Motherfu – I hate PA systems!"**

"I know, so loud…" Blake released a whimper and her bow twitched at the memories.

 **"** _ **Get to the rocks!**_ **" A male voice called over the PA. "** _ **Jiraiya, get those boys on the giant ass rocks!**_ **"**

 **"...Bunner, you ol' paranoid bastard, I could kiss you." Jiraiya mumbled. He looked to the three teens. "You heard the voice of our savior! Go to the rocks!"**

"Listen to the random voice! Go! Go! Go!" Nora shouted.

 **"What about Naruto?" Haku asked.**

 **"He'll be fine...I think." Jiraiya grimaced at the thought of something horrible happening to his godson. Kushina and Minato would return from the grave to kick his ass.**

"I would, too." Yang nodded sternly.

"I highly doubt you would be a concern in his mind," Ren said. Yang frowned at him and he shrugged. "He knew Naruto's parents much longer, and from what we've learned thus far, they have a far more frightening atmosphere than a raging Yang."

"...Can I use that?" Yang asked.

Ren shrugged. "Go ahead."

 **Shaking the thought from his mind, the older Huntsman led the three boys to a nearby gathering of giant rocks, which they jumped onto. They scoured the land for any sign of the subterranean Grimm, and just when they'd given up hope, there was a massive explosion of dirt about fifty feet in front of them.**

 **The Grimm's head fell out of the sky and landed just beside the rocks. A putrid odor escaped the Grimm's corpse and more body parts landed around them. Kurama had already ripped the hem of his shirt to cover his face, not caring if his stomach was exposed.**

"…It's nice." Pyrrha mumbled with pink cheeks while she admired the Faunus' midsection.

All of a sudden, Jaune felt extremely irritated, but he wasn't sure why.

"Meh, not as good as Sun or Naruto's," Yang said with a shrug.

 **"Ugh, god, they smell like shit." Kurama groaned. He swallowed down the bile that threatened to escape his throat.**

 **"Yeah they do." Sasuke agreed with a gag. He looked around. "Well...Guess we better start looking for pieces...I'll let you tell Yang her boyfriend's dead, Haku."**

"I'd mess you _all_ up for this!" Yang shouted angrily as her eyes bled back into red.

 **"Sasuke!" Haku glared at the teen.**

 **"I was just kidding, geez." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "The idiot is** _ **way**_ **too stubborn to die. Besides, it isn't like this is the first time that this happened."**

"It isn't!?" Ruby and Jaune asked with surprised looks.

"I'm not surprised by anything about Naruto anymore." Blake shook her head in bemusement. Nothing could be more surprising than what they had already learned of the blond.

 **"It wasn't funny."**

 **"I thought it was funny." Sasuke muttered to his partner. The Faunus was too distracted by his desire to control his bodily functions to respond.**

 **"Okay, you've all had your fun." Jiraiya chuckled as he hopped down from the rock they stood on. He pointed at a distant glowing form, hard to make out because of the sun's rays.**

Yang sank into her seat, eyes closed, and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank _God_ , I thought my other just lost her perfect BF."

"Oh woe, oh shame, oh tragedy..." Weiss mumbled sourly. She almost managed to avoid the pillow thrown at her face.

Almost.

 **"Let's go make sure he's fine before we do anything else."**

 **"Right...In the meantime, mind telling us who our 'savior' was? I want to give them a big kiss of gratitude for introducing me to such a lovely smell." Kurama grumbled as he jumped away from the slowly dissolving carcass pieces.**

 **The four began to walk before Haku looked alarmed.**

 **"Wait, what do you mean this isn't the first time this happened?"**

 **"...out...light...Stay out of the light, boy! Get away from the light! Live, damn you, live!"**

 **These were the words Naruto slowly awoke to. That and an annoying pounding on his chest. There was a sharp clack and a soft hum, like something was charging up. Naruto's brows furrowed. Why did he know that sound? It sounded like a...like a...**

 **"Clear!"**

 **Defibrillator!**

"…Oh dear God." Pyrrha looked horrified. "Using those outside of required situations-!"

"Really hurts for the receiving participant." Ren rubbed his chest, getting a few odd looks. He merely pointed to Nora, who was rubbing her hands that had static coming off them and hovering over a pancake.

"Clear!"

"Nora! Not on the pan-!" The pancake exploded, covering both her and Ren in the residue. "Cake…"

"Oops, sorry!" Nora laughed and slipped some of the breakfast meal into her mouth. "Mm...Needs syrup!"

 **"No!" Naruto's eyes snapped open, his hands shot up to catch the wrists of his would be shocker. Blue eyes stared into manic brown for a moment before the latter closed and a sigh escaped their owner. He was an older gentleman, in his late sixties to early seventies. A tan cap with the words "Amend This" around a reticule sat on his head. The man was dressed oddly, like one would expect of a Huntsman; he wore practical desert camouflage and a tanned utility vest over the top. Aviator sunglasses hung from his collar and a greying moustache covered his upper lip like a dying caterpillar.**

"Ooh, I wanna pet it…" Nora said and reached for the screen. Ren pushed her hand down and shook his head.

 **"Oh, thank the almighty. I was afraid I'd have to actually perform open-heart surgery. Would've taken a few minutes so it would've been for naught, but still, had to try."**

"There is no way he is certified to be a doctor." Weiss mumbled.

"I played doctor once." Ruby laughed at the memory and then knitted her brows together. "But when I told Dad, he got really angry at the neighbor kid later that day."

"Huh, weird. Never saw him around again, either." Yang rubbed her chin in thought.

 **"...I'm glad you didn't." Naruto mumbled. He lowered his arms and winced, turning his attention to the right limb. A thick white bandage was wound from his knuckles to his elbow. "What the...?"**

 **"Graboid stomach acid, a mix of the meanest chemicals you'll ever encounter. Eats through everything. Metal, flesh, bone..." The man sighed and pat Naruto on the shoulder. He looked over to Naruto's left and then back at the blond. "Had to remove your weapons before they completely ate through your arm. A few drops got to the right, but they'll heal soon enough. Sorry about your Sluggers, kid. Those were a practical innovation for a close combatant like you.**

"Not the brick hands! I actually liked those." Yang pouted and popped a chip in her mouth.

Blake glanced at her with a raised brow. "Really?"

"Duh." Yang nodded. She grinned. "They were the beefcake to go alongside my elegant gauntlets."

 **Ugly as sin though, your first craft?"**

 **"Y-Yeah..." Naruto mumbled. He looked to the side where the man had glanced and grimaced. What were his powerful, brick-like behemoth of gauntlets were now two puddles of orange smears. That acid had to be something if it ate through his gauntlets like that. The last time he got eaten by something that big they hadn't even taken a dent!**

 **"Ah, good, the cavalry's here." The old guy stood up and folded his hands behind his back. "Jiraiya, always a pleasure."**

 **"Bunner, you paranoid sonovabitch, you didn't say anything about a goddamn Graboid in the area! I thought you said they were extinct!" Jiraiya growled.**

"What's a Graboid?" Nora asked with a confused look on her face.

"That must be the Grimm in question. They must be native to the area, or were," Weiss said. She rubbed her chin. "But I've never heard of them before."

"Maybe they were forgotten by texts," Blake said.

"Could be."

 **Naruto looked between the two men before Haku came over and helped him to his feet.**

 **"Are you alright, Naruto?" Haku asked.**

 **"Yeah, I guess..." Naruto mumbled, still a bit upset over his gauntlets' demise.**

 **"Man, first that King Taijitu and now the worm thing...You must** _ **love**_ **getting eaten, huh, Naruto?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.**

 **"I must taste like ramen or something..." Naruto agreed with a nod. He gained a small frown. "Hmm...I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."**

Yang made an iffy motion with her hand. "Ups _and_ downs to that."

 **"What I do know is that you smell worse than you did before! Ugh, wet dog...it's assaulting my senses..." Kurama grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Still...glad to see your stupidity factor saved your ass again."**

 **"Invincible Idiot power. I'm jealous and yet so glad I don't have it." Sasuke nodded.**

 **"...You guys are assholes." Naruto huffed. "I get eaten and all you do is call me stupid."**

"No, we should _pamper_ you for talking and moving when you shouldn't have." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"They could be a little nicer." Pyrrha returned.

"He shouldn't have ignored the experienced Huntsman." Weiss shot back. She frowned in distaste. "Pervert he is, but still he's more experienced. That should always be taken into account."

"Oh yeah it should!" Yang grinned.

Weiss blinked and then glared at her. "Oh you-!"

"Quiet, there's still more." Blake cut in.

 **The whiskered blond yelped when Jiraiya cuffed him upside the head.**

 **"They're damn right you're stupid! I told you not to move, and what do you do? You fucking move! No wonder you got eaten! And on top of that – on top of** _ **that**_ **– You went and ruined your gauntlets!"**

 **"...Wow, I feel so loved." Naruto mumbled. He received another smack upside the head.**

 **"Shut up, Brat, before I change my mind." Jiraiya grumbled back. He looked at the man, Bunner, and nodded. "Give 'em up, Bunner. They're his by bloodline."**

 **"Aw...Do I have to?" Gurt frowned. Kurama turned to him, his jaw popped open and a shaky hand lifted up.**

 **"G-Gurt Bunner?** _ **The**_ **Gurt Bunner? The man who perfected a forty-five caliber, multi-purpose pocket knife?!"**

"He what?!" Ruby gaped, stars in her silver eyes.

 **"...See, this is why he and Ruby aren't allowed to hang out," Sasuke said lowly to his team leader.**

 **"We've been over this, Sasuke. Ruby** _ **needs**_ **his help." Naruto rolled his eyes. He couldn't help that Ruby and Kurama clicked when it came to being weapon nerds.**

"Weapon enthusiast!" Ruby rebutted sternly.

 **Granted, Ruby was far more into the art than the Faunus, but Kurama was the only one who had a small chance of getting Ruby to overcome her social awkwardness.**

Yang was praying it worked, she was still trying to figure out her own sister sometimes just to help her through this.

 **Hell, it worked wonders on Jaune...Sort of...Okay, he's still a work in progress, but there is still merit to the plan.**

"I'm not awkward…" Jaune pouted. When no one agreed with him, he hung his head and slumped his shoulders. Pyrrha patted his shoulder, an apologetic smile on her face.

Ruby shook her head. "Not what you said at the dance."

"I was just trying to cheer you up!"

"Uh-huh."

 **Not to mention Yang offered a** _ **big**_ **reward if Naruto's plan showed promise, but that was beside the point.**

 **And no, it wasn't sex...Technically, anyway...Ahem, moving on.**

"It was probably third base." Yang summed up her other's thoughts. She contemplated it with a hum and then nodded. That was a good bribe.

 **Gurt seemed to beam at Kurama's words. He sent a smug look to the annoyed Jiraiya before he looked back at the star struck Faunus.**

 **"I see you read my article in last month's** _ **Dust &Bullets**_ **," Gurt said. He held his hand out. "Gurt Bunner, Huntsman, weapon smith, and proud member of the Free Arms for Remnant Association."**

 **"It's an honor, sir." Kurama took the hand and shook it. "I didn't know how to properly prepare my...Well...Will you do me the honor?"**

 **Kurama offered his staff forward and Gurt gave it a once over with just his eyes.**

 **"Well now...Look at that." An impressed whistle left the older Huntsman's lips as he carefully took the staff. "Aura channeling, dust-lined barrel, collapsible, combat ready ringed monk staff...Been a** _ **long**_ **time since I've seen one of these."**

Ruby was squealing over the design, having never gotten a good look over the weapon.

"An-n-nd we've lost her." Weiss drawled.

"She lasted longer than I thought," Yang said, grinning at the innuendo.

 **"It was based off of his father's." Jiraiya threw in with a small smirk.**

 **"Yes...Yes it certainly is..." Gurt handed the staff back and used a finger to wipe a tear away from his eye. "My boy, you've done me a grand justice. Alright, Jiraiya. I'll cough it up."**

 **"Good...And you've got your...uh...** _ **ride**_ **, don't you?" Jiraiya asked.**

 **Gurt turned to him and smirked as he pulled his sunglasses from his collar.**

 **"Of course I do...What do you think drew the Graboid's attention away? A remote control truck?"**

 **He lifted up his left hand and held a clicker up. A press of a button and what looked like a rock formation not too far away shimmered for a moment before it revealed a six-wheeled, tan colored truck that looked ready to run down anything in its path.**

"…It's _beautiful_." Yang wiped a tear from her eye.

"It's _hideous_." Weiss wrinkled her nose.

"Speak not of what you could never understand heathen!" Yang snapped.

 **Naruto was certain that even water wouldn't hold that thing off.**

 **"...Can I drive?" Jiraiya asked eagerly.**

 **"Hell no!"**

 **"Oh come on, Bunner, we're buddies!"**

 **"You can't drive a go-cart at the Vytal Festival much less Bessie!"**

"It's named, so cute!" Yang cooed and her eyes sparkled.

Ruby shrugged when her friends looked at her. "She really into vehicles."

"I must have Bessie!" Yang declared. A look of _need_ in her eye.

"... _Really_ into vehicles." Ruby reiterated.

 **"Oh, goodie...Old people arguing..." Sasuke muttered in mild annoyance as Gurt led them over to the truck.**

 **"Who're you callin' old, boy?"**

 **"I don't want to hear it, Fanboy!"**

 **"Welcome to Bunner's Bunker." Gurt led the group of five into his underground home. "We got air conditioning and filters, solar generators, water filters, food for years and, I know you'll like this one, Kurama..."**

 **Gurt flipped a switch and a wall opened up, revealing a grand amount of weaponry that looked like it had come from all over the Four Kingdoms. Some looked like they outdated the Four Kingdoms, like they'd been pulled from The War themselves. The four teens stared at the collection, no, the** _ **armory**_ **that they faced.**

Ruby was vibrating in her seat. She was mumbling every name and specifications of the weapons she could see until her eyes rolled into her head and she passed out.

"…Huntress down!" Yang cried out. "Medic!"

 **Haku wandered over to a massive broadsword that looked like a cleaver.**

 **"H-How did you get this?" He asked, his eyes wide. Gurt smiled lightly.**

 **"I made that. It's a non-functioning replica based off of The Demon's Blade. He may have done a lot of dirty deeds with his...but it's a damn beautiful weapon and he treated it well." The old man sighed with a nod. "Give anything to see one of Fog's Seven Swords in real life again. Not fight it, though."**

 **"** _ **Again**_ **?" Sasuke looked at the man.**

 **"I encountered the Shark Shaver once." Gurt explained with a grimace. He rolled down his left sleeve, revealing a shredded scar on his forearm. "Nearly tore the whole damn thing off...Barely escaped with my life. Got lucky. That sum' bitch drew too much attention with his aura...The Maskless Grimm.**

"Who the heck would have a name like that?" Weiss pursed her lips as the rest of her team moved Ruby to lay across the laps of Yang, Blake and herself.

"A real monster of a warrior." Pyrrha figured.

 **You ignore anything else I ever say, boys, but goddamn if you do listen to me now."**

 **The four teens turned to the older Huntsman, who had a grave look of seriousness in his normally manic eyes. He met each of their gazes and then pointed at his still exposed arm.**

 **"If any of you ever meet the Maskless Grimm, you turn tail and you run. You run until you can't run anymore. That...** _ **thing**_ **cannot be stopped. You understand?"**

"I wonder what he looks like," Nora hummed. "Does that mean Grimm can remove their masks? I wonder what _they_ look like…"

"Nora. No removing Grimm masks."

"Aww..."

 **Naruto, Kurama, Haku and Sasuke nodded. They'd all been a bit unnerved by his words, and the way Jiraiya leaned on the wall with a similarly serious look on his face. That wasn't natural, and it put the four on edge.**

 **"Good!" Gurt smiled and rolled his sleeve back up. "Now, you, Naruto. You're a close-combat, huh?"**

 **"Uh, yeah...Sure."**

 **"That's what I thought." Gurt nodded and walked over to a wall of gauntlets and greaves. He pulled open a drawer beneath what had to be the most over the top arm-cannon in history – seriously, it had like eighty-five different sizes and shapes of ammunition popping out of the front – and began to dig through it. "Let's see, now where did I...No...Hmm...Ah! Here it is! Still in prime condition."**

 **Naruto tried to peer over the man's shoulder and jumped when he turned around so suddenly, his hands behind his back.**

 **"Your name...was it given or earned?" Gurt asked.**

 **"...Uhh...What?"**

 **"His mother was an Uzumaki, Bunner. Drop the paranoia for a minute and just give him the damn things."**

"My other's beau gets an upgrade? Nice." Yang beamed.

"What happened?" Ruby slurred as she opened her eyes, only to see an entire wall of gauntlets and greaves. Her eyes went wide, drool poured from her mouth...and then she promptly fainted again.

Weiss hung her head with a sigh.

This was her team leader?

They were all doomed.

 **"Well, excuse me for wanting to make sure he could use them without losing an arm or something!"**

 **"Wait, what?" Naruto asked, highly alarmed.**

 **"Ignore him, Naruto, he's just trying to scare you." Jiraiya pushed off of the wall and walked forward, his arms still crossed. He glared at the older man. "Bunner...give him the goddamn gloves."**

 **"...Oh, fine. Spoilsport." Gurt grumbled. He pulled his hands from behind his back to reveal two leather fingerless black gloves with a steel scale-like plate on the back. Carved into the plate was a spiral, a spiral that matched the emblem on Naruto's clothes.**

 **"These are the Rasen Guard, Naruto Uzumaki. Worn by the Head Bodyguards of the Uzumaki Tribe hundreds of years ago before they were scattered by The War." Gurt dramatically presented the weapons. "They're simple, elegant, and while they don't have a ballistic function, they do have a rather impressive kick only available to those of the Uzumaki bloodline."**

"Wait, his family is _famous_?" Weiss asked. "And we're only hearing about it _now_?"

"Huh, big family tree, too? That's cool." Yang grinned. She frowned and wondered where they all were though.

"That's a lot of history, I wouldn't mind hearing more of it." Pyrrha confessed with interest.

"Yes! Details! Please!" Weiss implored, trying to wrap her head around the developments.

"Well, he did say his parents left him enough money to pay for Kurama and himself, donate to orphanages and charities and play in the stock market," Blake said. Eyes turned to her and she shrugged. "Tuition is costly if you're not from the area."

"...Ah, right." Weiss mumbled, now recalling how much she currently paid to enroll, since she was privately tutored.

 **Naruto could only stare at the gloves. He started to tune Gurt out as he took them into his hands. Slowly he pulled them on and it felt like something he'd been missing had finally been returned to him. He didn't know it, but his eyes flashed gold and the spirals on the steel lit up. With the gloves on his hands, Naruto flexed his fingers a few times before he balled his hands into fists and slammed them together. The plates on the back of the gloves lifted up and from beneath them, more scaled plates extended out.**

 **The others watched with amazement as Naruto's arms were enveloped to the elbow by the scaled gauntlets, which were now more sleek and slender rather than large and bulky. They were almost organic, natural, like they** _ **belonged**_ **on Naruto's arms. Hell, it was like they** _ **were**_ **Naruto's arms.**

"Ooh, sleek and slim, Mama approves. Plus, they're organic, talk about being good for the environment." Yang joked.

Ruby gurgled in agreement.

"Is she supposed to be foaming from the mouth?" Pyrrha asked in concern.

"No worries, she'll bounce back…I think." Yang furrowed her brow and then shrugged it off. "Yeah, she'll be fine."

 **"...Okay, I'm a little jealous." Sasuke mumbled as he soaked in the gleaming steel that reflected light at him. Never before had he thought weapons could be sexy, but he'll be damned if he didn't now. It was like looking at the latest sport car to come out of Mistral.**

Jaune, Ren, and Yang let out dreamy sighs.

 **"Yep, they're pretty all right," Jiraiya said. He smirked and nodded at Gurt, who grinned and took a few steps back. "Naruto...channel some aura into your hands."**

 **"Point your palms down at your sides first." Gurt advised.**

 **"Okay..." Naruto mumbled as he did what he was instructed. His palms faced the floor and a fraction of his aura flowed into his hand. A golden glow shone beneath his palms that quickly intensified before he lifted off the ground. "Wh-Whoa!"**

"He can fly?!" Weiss asked in shock.

"He can fly." Blake noted, blinking wide eyes while Team JNPR gaped.

"I'mma fly away with him!" Yang pumped her fists in excitement.

Ruby twitched from the movement.

 **Off balanced from the unnatural feeling, Naruto spun out and crashed into a shelf. He groaned from the ground and grunted when a book fell onto his head. He got to his feet and looked at his hands.**

 **"I...I can fly?"**

 **"...Holy shit, he can fly." Kurama muttered with wide eyes, his sunglasses slipping down his nose slightly to reveal the underside of his brow, though his eyes themselves remained unseen.**

 **Sasuke and Haku looked equally dumbfounded by this discovery.**

 **"That's not all, now try throwing a punch and think of sending the aura behind you, right out of your elbow." Gurt suggested with a wide grin on his face.**

 **Naruto, eager to learn more about his new weapons, settled into a stance and prepared a punch. The aura moved naturally to where he thought due to his control. When he threw the punch, he cleared the width of the already large room, and his fist imbedded itself in the wall next to Jiraiya.**

"Did he just boost himself to punch a wall?" Jaune asked.

"Yep." Ren told him.

"…I _really_ need to get an upgrade."

 **"...What's the name again?" Naruto asked as he pulled his hand from the wall.**

 **"Rasen Guard." The room repeated, two speakers amused while the other three were in awe.**

 **"Rasen Guard..." Naruto mumbled. He grinned and his semblance flared to life for a brief moment. The spirals in the back of his hands glowing gold and several spiraling runes appeared along the steel plates. "Welcome aboard, Rasen Guard...Hope I don't let you down."**

"Oh babe, with those beauts? You could never let anything down." Yang leered at her other's beau's sexy gauntlets.

 **"I don't think you will, Naruto." Jiraiya smiled as he clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder.**

 **Naruto smiled back up at him as his semblance died down. Almost naturally, Rasen Guard folded away without any jerking or effort on Naruto's part. The whiskered blond looked down at the gloves and for a moment thought he saw several different colors dance across the back. Greens, reds, blues...primary aura shades that were common among Remnant, and some Huntsmen and Huntresses. Strange, but again, Naruto felt as if it were natural. Like Rasen Guard was...alive.**

"Man, Ruby is going to pee herself when she hears that." Yang snickered.

Weiss scooted away from Ruby, removing the girl from her lap.

 **"Well, now that Naruto has his family birthright, let's get down to business." Jiraiya's voice snapped Naruto from his thoughts. The whiskered blond turned to look at his godfather along with his team and Gurt. Jiraiya had a frown on his face and his arms folded back over his chest.**

 **"How many Graboids are we dealing with?"**

 **"Thank you for coming." A man's deep voice neutrally voiced his gratitude to two other figures stood in a shadowed room. The one who spoke was a tall spiky-haired male, the only features distinguishable in the darkness were his purple eyes, rippled and almost soulless as they observed the other two. A heavy cloak fell down over his shoulders, decorated with red mushroom clouds.**

"Well, I guess we can figure that he might be the head honcho of the Forth War." Nora hummed as she squinted her eyes at the weird eyes the guy had.

"Seems that way." Ren nodded.

 **"Well, when one of our associates requests a gathering, it's only polite to show up, isn't it?" The figure to the purple-eyed man's left was a shorter woman, wearing a black cat-burgler's mask to protect her identity from those who knew her face. Golden eyes peered out from behind the mask and a small coy smile was on her face.**

"Isn't that the one who attacked Ruby?" Weiss asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yep." Yang frowned. "She's a big name, too? Well, hope I kick her butt good."

 **"Speak for yourself." The last, a young man with dark red hair and what appeared to be dark horns poking out over his head. In one hand was a long sheathed sword, the gloved hand around it gripped tightly. His lips curled down into a sneer as his Grimm mask, modified to show his status in the now infamous White Fang, faced the purple-eyed speaker. "I only came to ensure you don't plot against us."**

Blake swallowed and looked away. _Oh Adam…why?_

"There's the White Fang leader." Weiss frowned and took note of Blake's reaction. "...Familiar?"

"...No. I don't recognize him." It wasn't entirely a lie.

"Besides this is alternate world," Ren said, reminding Weiss. "Things could play out extremely different for us."

"Right," Weiss said softly.

 **"A wise move."**

 **"Shut up,** _ **Queen**_ **."**

 **"Be silent,** _ **Beast**_ **." The Faunus snarled at the purple-eyed man when he spoke. "What I have to say will affect our relationship, so listen well."**

 **"I'm all ears,** _ **Jackass**_ **."**

"Well, at least they don't get along," Jaune said with a weak smile.

No one laughed at the joke.

 **"** _ **Fang**_ **." The woman, Queen, hissed.**

 **"Whatever." The Faunus, Fang, scoffed. He glared from behind his mask at the man. "Say your piece so I can leave,** _ **Man**_ **."**

 **"Our plans have changed." The purple-eyed man's deep voice echoed in the cavern. "The Fourth War has decided that we shall once more act alone. I inform you only out of respect and to warn you."**

 **"What?" Queen glared at the purple-eyed man and Fang gripped the hilt of his sword.**

 **"Tossing us to the side already? That makes you a loose end. You won't leave this place alive." The White Fang member snarled as he began to draw his sword.**

Blake sat up a bit at the daring move and watched carefully.

"This isn't going to end well." Weiss mused, watching with an odd mix of detachment and mild interest.

 **The action made the ripple-eyed figure lift his hand and put his palm right in the Faunus' face. There was a small flicker of aura before the Faunus flew back at a high speed and slammed into the wall, creating a massive cloud of smoke. Fang's sword fell to the ground and a pained gurgle escaped his lips. A warped pipe had pierced through the back of his right side and came through the front, blood covering it. The Faunus' head fell forward and was caught by the purple-eyed man's hand.**

The Faunus released a silent gasp while the other gapped.

"Did that guy just wave and send the other dude into a wall?" Nora question.

"Yes." Ren answered stiffly.

"Oh, good, I thought I was just seeing things."

 **"You forget your place,** _ **Beast**_ **. I am no mere** _ **man**_ **. I am** _ **God**_ **." The self-proclaimed God warned as he gripped the Faunus' jaw.**

"Oh joy, a villain with a god-complex." Weiss rolled her eyes. "How cliché."

"With what he just did, it seems a bit justified," Blake said tightly.

Weiss had no retort.

 **"Make a move against me or my acolytes...and you will find yourself in** _ **Hell**_ **. Do you understand?"**

 **"F...F...Fuck you. Ape."**

 **Queen winced as Fang's head was shoved through the wall, his neck bent at an odd angle. Thankfully, he wasn't dead. Aura was truly a miraculous thing.**

"Yes, real lucky," Weiss said, almost frowning.

Blake grimaced.

 **"** _ **That**_ **was your last warning,** _ **Beast**_ **." God rumbled lowly, his voice still neutral as when he began. He released the Faunus' head and turned around to walk back towards Queen, who took a miniscule step away as he towered over her. Rippled purple eyes regarded her for a moment, as like a Huntsman observing a plant, trying to determine whether it was dangerous or not.**

 **"Fang is brash and stupid. I am not." Queen decided to speak after a moment.**

 **"I sincerely hope that's true, as you should know that only a fool stands against God. I see all. I know all." Five more figures appeared at his side, each with the same eyes as the first. They circled Queen and stared her down from every angle. Queen trembled as their aura flared lightly, filling the room with malicious intent. The original man leaned forward and gently cupped her chin, tilting her head up to meet his near lifeless, yet still mesmerizingly bright, eyes.**

 **"I warn you out of professional courtesy," he said lowly. His grip on her chin tightened and Queen grabbed at his wrist. "If you or the** _ **Beast**_ **choose to stand against us...you will know true** _ **Pain**_ **."**

"This is kinda twisted to watch." Jaune muttered.

"But it is an insight to a threat," Pyrrha said. "Notice how he uses 'professional courtesy' instead of 'as a favor'. They seem to never be close, like this is just business. That means there _is_ an endgame."

"...Great. Something more terrifying," Jaune said with a sigh.

 **The grip on her chin disappeared when the six figures vanished, as if they were never there. Queen dropped to her knees and trembled, her hands slowly moving up to grab her arms, hugging herself tightly. Golden eyes were wide and they stared at the ground.**

 _ **What...What kind of monster...I didn't know there were**_ **more** _ **of them! Oh go-god...**_ **Queen lifted one of her hands to her forehead and she shuddered. Her teeth grit together tightly and her eyes squeezed shut.** _ **Get it together, get it together. He's messing with your mind...Don't let him win. Breathe...Breathe...Okay. Good.**_

 **Queen got back to her feet and exhaled roughly. She then snapped her gaze over to Fang, who blearily pulled his head out of the hole it was shoved in. Queen's golden eyes narrowed.**

 _ **First...Make sure he knows not to mess with the Fourth War. We've done too much to let his racism risk it all.**_

 **"Adam...We need to talk."**

"That was dark." Yang muttered.

"Pretty much." Blake agreed tiredly while she rubbed her eyes.

Ruby groaned awake, "What did I miss?"

"A lot."


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Graboids,** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **. Gurt Bunner is based off of the cult film series** ** _Tremors_** **' character Burt Gummer aka "The Gun Guy", portrayed by the talented and beloved Michael Gross.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXIII: Mother-Humper**

* * *

 **"Hey, um, guys? Can I ask a question?" Naruto nervously spoke into a small microphone that was clipped around his neck that connected to an earpiece in his right ear, which was currently pressed down by two of his fingers. He couldn't help his nerves, the deserted valley was not a comfortable place to be once the sun dropped down beyond the mountain ridge and the moon started to climb.**

"Is...Is he playing the bait?" Jaune asked in disbelief.

"I think so." Pyrrha nodded slowly.

" _Why_!?" Yang demanded.

"It's because they've already gotten a taste for him."

Yang rounded a glare on the smirking Weiss.

 **Naruto shivered as a small gust of wind brushed passed his loaned t-shirt, and formed goose bumps on his exposed arms. No sooner had he gotten the Rasen Guard did his clothing start to deteriorate. Apparently, the Graboid's stomach acid worked slower on items that were deemed easily digestible (clothing, wood, and various other fibers) and faster on more complex meals, such as a Huntsman or Huntress' weapons or their limbs. So now, Naruto was clad in baggy orange jeans (something he was damned sure that he was going to keep) that were held up by a utility belt courtesy of Gurt, a spare set of combat sandals courtesy of his godfather ("I keep telling you idiots to always be prepared, but you** ** _never_** **listen to me!") and a solid black T-shirt that was just large enough to give him breathing room, but not too large to be obscenely baggy.**

"He looks like he just escaped a penitentiary." Weiss idly mused.

"Subtle, Weiss." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Who was trying to be subtle? I think it's fitting."

 **His parents' rings were back in Gurt's truck, protected by similar rune-like designs that were on Rasen Guard.**

 **Overall, it was a nice new look that kept him cool when the sun was up, but now he was damn near freezing.**

 **"** ** _You just did, Naruto. Two in fact._** **"**

 **"Piss off, Kurama."**

 **"** ** _Kit, don't abuse the radio. Naruto, ask your question._** **" Jiraiya hissed quietly through the line. Kurama's small growl at the name was barely heard.**

 **"Why am** ** _I_** **the bait?" Naruto asked. His eye twitched. "Again?"**

"It's because he tastes like ramen," Yang pouted. "Damn slimy worm things."

"At least you know what he tastes like, too."

Yang gave Blake a begrudging look. "Nice one, I'll admit that much."

"Thank you."

 **Seriously, he'd been standing out in this desert for about three hours now, and the last worm, out of three others (including the bastard that** ** _ate_** **him), hadn't come snooping while Naruto practiced using his new gauntlets. With the original plan of Naruto making noise, drawing the Graboids in while he practiced using his new gauntlet's aura blasts.**

 **On a side note, Rasen Guard is the best weapon hand-me-down ever; Jaune was so going to be jealous.**

"I already am." Jaune hung his head and sighed.

 **So was Ruby, for that matter.**

Ruby rested her cheeks in her hands and simply stared at the gauntlets with sparkles in her eyes.

 **"** ** _Because you, in your own words, 'taste like ramen'._** **" Haku reminded the blond of his theory. No one argued it, and Kurama proposed (jokingly) that it had merit due to the amount of heavenly noodles Naruto could consume. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, the whiskered blond was a tad battle hungry after the last two fights with the Grimm worms.**

 **"...Fuck me." Naruto groaned out of boredom.**

 **"** ** _That's Yang's job, not ours._** **" Sasuke and Kurama simultaneously replied. They were obviously enjoying his misery.**

"Not yet boys. Rein in those wet dreams," Yang said.

"Oh, so you have _some_ class?"

"You wanna sandwich, Weiss? Because I got four knuckles begging to be stuffed down your-!"

"If you two would please stop!" Pyrrha interjected with a stern frown. "You're both so childish..."

"Ouch." "Ch-Childish!?" Yang pouted and Weiss stammered for a retort.

"Whoa...nice one, Pyrrha." Ruby grinned. "I'm never able to shut them up so fast!"

"Oh, um, sorry?" Pyrrha apologized sheepishly.

 **"You guys suck. Why are we friends again?"**

 **"** ** _Because you're a dumbass and wouldn't leave us alone when we were younger._** **" Again, simultaneous. Dicks.**

 **"** ** _Who's Yang?_** **" Gurt asked, intrigued.**

 **"** ** _The Brat's girlfriend. Aren't you supposed to be watching that size-o-ma-jigger?_** **" Jiraiya asked.**

 **"** ** _I_** **am** ** _watching the seismograph. Our Graboid is about thirty clicks west. He's not that interested yet. Naruto, you need to make more noise! Run around, do something, I don't care, but get this mother-humper's attention, will ya?_** **"**

 **"Yeah, yeah..." Naruto sighed and began to limber up. Two minutes after he finished loosening his joints, he started to shadow fight, throwing punches and kicks in various combinations. Rasen Guard unfolded, silent as the desert night around him, and joined in the shadow fight. For forty-five minutes, Naruto was entertained. At the hour mark, he sighed once again and stopped.**

 **"Guys...I'm getting bored."**

"That is super boring, he should have at least brought a magazine with him or something." Ruby agreed.

"He should start exploding the mountains or something, that'll work." Nora suggested.

 **"** ** _How are you bored?_** **" Jiraiya demanded. "** ** _You're live bait in a Grimm hunt! Hunting a rare Grimm that not many Huntsmen or Huntresses have ever encountered!_** **"**

 **"** ** _Naruto, you need to stay focused._** **" Haku urged.**

 **"I know!" Naruto whined shamelessly. Though unnatural for a teenager, it wasn't really that surprising for one who raised oneself from childhood to keep their childish faults, I.e., Naruto's phasmophobia. "...But still..."**

 **"** ** _I got an idea._** **" Kurama's smirk was audible to the whiskered blond, who now wondered what was on his Faunus friend's mind. Softly, with only a crackle of static to accompany his voice, a single word came through the ear bud. "** ** _Penis_** **."**

"…What?" Weiss frowned while Jaune tried to conceal his snickers with a coughing fit and Ren fought back a smirk.

Both failed miserably.

 **Naruto's face spread into a wide smile. Oh, hell the fuck yes. Slightly louder than his friend and without using the radio – he didn't want to hear the Pervy Sage bitch and moan about his poor ears, nor did he want to hurt Haku or Gurt – Naruto continued the game.**

 **"Penis."**

 **"** ** _...Penis._** **" Kurama's voice rose higher than Naruto's, but was still no louder than a whisper.**

"What is this?" Pyrrha asked with a look of curiosity and mild disgust.

"It's-It's a game." Jaune chuckled out. Pyrrha gave Jaune and Ren, who was using one hand to cover his mouth, a weird look.

Why were boys so strange?

 **"** ** _You guys are so immature._** **" Sasuke groaned over the radio. Jiraiya could be heard laughing in the background with Gurt while Haku's chuckles were a bit louder.**

 **"** ** _Shut up, Uchiha._** **" Kurama muttered. "** ** _Don't be a loser._** **"**

 **"Penis!" Naruto said the word moderately loudly, or what normal parents-slash-guardians would call an 'inside voice' to a young child. Kurama huffed over the radio.**

 **"** ** _Impatient –_** **" The Faunus cut himself off the radio and Naruto closed his eyes. Faintly, from beyond a small rock formation a good distance away, he heard an echo of "Penis!"**

 **"Oh it's on now, Ōtsutsuki..." The blond mumbled. He cupped his hands around his mouth and then took a deep breath. As loud as he could, Naruto shouted out to the world the five-letter word that was considered a taboo to shout.**

 **"PENIS!"**

"And this is why boys can be so disgusting." Weiss glowered at the screen because of what she was watching, "I swear, if this continues, I'm changing the channel."

Yang glared at her. "You better not."

"Oh, I will. Trust me."

Those sounded like fighting words to Yang.

"Let's just watch, please?" Ruby asked in a small voice, her cheeks pink at the constant 'inappropriate' word being shouted back and forth.

 **The word echoed in the night and Naruto smirked. No one could beat him at the Penis Game. He was the King Dong of Kon Academy all throughout his educational career. Heck, he even spent a night at the Kon Detention Center behind bars for making a public disturbance late at night. He wasn't as restrained or put with any potential pedophiles (thank the mighty noodle god), but he was behind bars. Naruto was just glad the event was destroyed along with the rest of his juvenile delinquent records when he turned sixteen. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get into Beacon.**

"Curse the legal system." Weiss snapped her fingers, why must it be so fair?

 **"...** ** _Bullshit, I demand a rematch!_** **" Kurama hissed angrily over the radio while Haku was openly laughing alongside Jiraiya and Gurt.**

 **"** ** _And you say I'm a sore loser?_** **"**

 **"** ** _I will show that picture! Do not tempt me!_** **"**

"Do it!" Yang grinned. "Give my other some ammo to dig her fingers in deeper!"

"Wow, when you hook 'em, you really hook 'em, don't you Yang?" Nora asked.

"I always keep what I catch." Yang grinned.

"Might want to get that checked out." Blake smirked at the disbelief that crossed Yang's face.

"...Touché." Yang finally settled with saying as a smile crossed her face.

 **"** ** _Boys, shush!_** **" Gurt cut in. Naruto's smile fell as the radio went silent for a moment and the sounds of the desert nightlife returned to dominance. His eyes began to dart around and he flexed his hands, shifting Rasen Guard into and out of active status. A soft rumble gained his attention. A hand lifted up to press the ear bud.**

 **"Uh...Guys?" He asked softly. Another rumble had him turn around on his rock and he lifted his free hand, the spiral-rune on his palm glowing in preparation. Yes, Rasen Guard did lack physical projectiles, but the use of its many runes was in the thousands. Naruto especially enjoyed using the palm runes as minor repulser blasters.**

 **They were super effective.**

"That's, wow that's really cool." Ruby sighed, her chin resting in her palms.

"Wow, just lock yourself in a room with them, Ruby." Weiss snarked.

"Shush Weiss, I'm watching the weapon candy."

Yang just gave her sister a concerned look. Why did that scarily sound like something she would say…but not ease her concern for Ruby at all? Yang's eyes widened as she came to a startling realization.

 _Oh my god, Ruby is going to hook up with Crescent Rose!_

 **"Guys, seriously...What's going on?" Naruto asked again. "Talk to me here. I'm the one that tastes like Ramen, remember?! My life is on the line here!"**

 **"** ** _-eadings don't make sen-_** **"**

 **"Guys!?" Naruto cut in. The radio crackled for a second before finally he got a response.**

 **"** ** _Naruto, you've got to get out of there!_** **" Haku urged.**

 **"What? There's not more than one coming for me, is there?"**

 **"** ** _No!_** **" Gurt came over the radio. "** ** _No, it's just one. I may have...Miscalculated its initial size, though. It's not almost ten meters..._** **"**

 **"...Tell me it's smaller. Please, in the name of the Holy Ramen, let it be smaller." Naruto prayed over the radio.**

"It's not smaller." Everyone said with a wince, they could see that one coming.

 **"** ** _No such luck, kid. This beast is...Shit...Don't move._** **" Jiraiya hissed. "** ** _Radio silence, now_** **!"**

"No, talk to him, don't let him get eaten again! He'll stink forever!" Yang wailed in dismay.

 **The radio cut dead and Naruto went still. The light in his gauntlets went out and he stopped thinking as a massive mound of dirt began to rise up in front of him. Almost double the normal width of the previous Graboid emergence points. The ground gave way and a massive white worm shot up. The mask was pitch black and the red and yellow coloring had reversed. The albino Graboid rose to about maybe fifteen meters, its widest point of the midsection caught in the middle, so it would be fair to estimate the size at about thirty meters total. The Grimm worm fell to the side, just a meter or so from Naruto's position. It's beak opened and the snake-like tongues that were usually the size of a human or Faunus' arm was easily as tall as his godfather.**

"….It looks like a giant penis, but with tentacles coming out the top!"

"Thank you, Nora, for that imagery." Ren rubbed his face in disgust, an action matched by the others in the room. Nora just patted him on the arm.

"Anytime buddy."

 ** _Oh, wonderful. I get to deal with a genetic freak of nature._** **Naruto thought sardonically. One of the tongues moved towards him and Naruto had to fight back every instinct to blast it. Instead, he started a mantra. Five simple words:** ** _Don't move, it'll go away._**

 **Of course, the tongue retracted and the Graboid slunk back into its hole. It disappeared deep underground, but Naruto felt uneasy.**

 **"** ** _Naruto._** **" Kurama whispered over the radio. "** ** _Naruto, make a distraction. Blow up a rock or something. The sound should draw it away._** **"**

 **Naruto licked his lips and craned his head so that he could peer down into the hole. Nothing was there, but something was still wrong.**

 ** _No..._** **Blue eyes narrowed and flashed gold for a brief second. His hand, still on his ear, pressed down on the piece. "No...This one won't fall for it..."**

"It graduated top of its Grimm class." Ruby nodded.

"It even has a master's degree in child psychology." Nora agreed.

"Wasn't it at the latest Schnee Banquet?"

Weiss glared at Blake. "Funny. Truly, you are the goddess of comedy."

"When you got it, you got it." The Faunus shrugged.

 **"** ** _Naruto, listen to me_** **," Gurt said. "** ** _This mother-humper will go away. Ya just gotta make a distraction so we can all get back to my truck._** **"**

 **"** ** _We have to regroup and get in contact with Vale or Vacuo._** **" Jiraiya agreed.**

 **"...That'll take too long. What if it goes to the town?" Naruto asked softly. He looked around when he heard a small rumble.** ** _Or worse, what if it's repopulating?_**

"Ew," Ruby blanched, but paused. "Wait, how _do_ Grimm repopulate?"

"Sex, duh. It's rather Grimm."

"…That was terrible." Blake told Yang.

"They ain't all winners, best buddy."

 **"** ** _Naruto!_** **"**

 **"...Imma go for it." Naruto let his arm fall and rolled his shoulders. His gauntlets filled with aura and began to hum lightly.**

 **"** ** _Go for what?!_** **" The others asked in annoyance.**

 **"Just have another set of spare clothes ready." Naruto mumbled. He was not keen on getting eaten again, but if he could do this right, then that would deal with the problem for good.**

 **"** ** _Naruto...Naruto, don't you dare!_** **" Jiraiya shouted over the radio.**

"He's going to do it." Jaune said.

"He'd better not." Yang frowned.

"He's got that look in his eye. Same look I had when I faced the Ursa down…" Jaune tilted his head and then nodded. "Yep, he's so going to do it."

"He'd better _not_!"

 **The ground shook and Naruto smirked.**

 **"Knew it!" He cried as the worm came back into sight. He lifted his hands above his head and then threw them down. His semblance flared to life just as his palms' expelled enough aura to give him the proper amount of thrust. Naruto shot into the air above the Graboid's emergence hole and glared down at the albino monstrosity that rose up after him.**

 **"Alright you ugly sonovabitch, it's Ramen time!"**

 **His semblance and aura output cut out just as the Graboid's beak opened and it let out a roar. As he fell into the monster's open maw (** ** _again_** **) Naruto could only wonder how everyone else was doing.**

"And he was never heard from again, end of series, roll credits." Weiss clapped her hands while Yang stared in disbelief at the screen.

"...That...I can't...Asshole!" Yang raged.

"I demand a sequel!" Nora exclaimed.

"Ditto!"

 **"Why...Why was our mission the one that was postponed?" Jaune groaned. He took Pyrrha's offered hand and got back to his feet before he glowered at his team's opponent: The (self-proclaimed) Beautiful Green Beast, Might Guy. Thankfully, Guy let them wear their normal attire during their spar.**

 **Unfortunately, what they wore wasn't affecting the outcome of the fight, Guy was still kicking their butts.**

 **Even Nora, the heavy hitter of Team JNPR, was being swatted away like she was an annoying gnat.**

"I am not a gnat, I'm a beetle!" Nora snapped.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"A big bad Beetleborg!" The orange-haired girl declared as she shot to her feet.

Ren shrugged when the others looked to him for translation. "Honestly, I have no idea."

 **Her massive mallet wasn't able to leave a mark because Guy would send her packing once she got close enough.**

 **Like now.**

 **"Leaf Whirlwind!" The spandex-clad huntsman jumped into a spinning roundhouse that nailed Nora right in her gut.**

 **"Gah!"**

 **Jaune and Pyrrha had to step out of the way as the orange haired girl soared past them. They watched Ren try to engage Guy in martial arts, only to be bested by a barrage of punches, kicks, and finished with an over the shoulder toss. Ren landed at the two shield-bearer's feet and groaned. A hand reached up and grabbed Jaune's leg.**

 **"Okay...Your turn," Ren said, his voice muffled by the dirt.**

"Tag in, Team Leader."

"You just want me to suffer with you." Jaune accused.

Unfortunately for Jaune, Ren had the perfect poker face.

 **"Any ideas?" Pyrrha asked Jaune.**

 **"Well, we could always beg for mercy." Jaune mumbled.**

 **"Jaune..."**

 **"Okay, okay...Uh...Oh! I know!" Jaune held his shield up to cover his and Pyrrha's heads from Guy's sight.**

 **Guy watched in mild amusement.** ** _I wonder if I should teach him a lesson about leaving himself open like that. It's not very wise or youthful in a fight...But then again, to suddenly break into a team huddle would throw tournament opponents off...Hmm...What would my hip and cool rival do?_**

"Let them be, let them be, let them be." Jaune crossed his fingers and his eyes scrunched close.

 **"** ** _...Show no mercy, Guy..._** **"**

"Damn his hip and cool rival!" Jaune yelled in rage.

 ** _Fair enough!_** **Guy grinned widely and burst into action. He rushed at the two sword-and-shield users, his speed tore the grass right from the ground. As he jumped in the air and thrust his left leg out from his side, he gave them the benefit of the doubt and called out one of his favorite attacks.**

 **"Dai-namic Entry!"**

 **Named and created, of course, by his late father, Might Dai.**

"Might die?" Ruby scratched her head.

"Might D-aye. Has more of an accent to it, Ruby." Blake instructed.

"Oh."

 **Pyrrha and Jaune poked their heads over Jaune's shield at Guy's proclamation. Their eyes widened in horror as the gaudy orange greave approached Jaune's shield in almost slow motion.**

 ** _For some reason, I have the urge to smack PJ and Pyrrha upside the head._** **Naruto thought while he struggled around in the albino Graboid's gut.**

"Oh, digest already." Jaune scowled since he was the one no doubt getting beaten on.

Seriously, it was like he was the butt monkey around here!

 **He could already feel the stomach acid start to tickle his toes. Shame, too. He liked those sandals. Naruto grunted and continued to struggle in the confined space. If he could just manage to get some an arm free.**

 ** _In hindsight, this was a lot simpler in theory. Get eaten, use Rasen Guard to blow myself out in a Ruby-like fashion,_**

"I've never been eaten in my life!" Ruby argued to this statement.

"I think he was talking about the explosion, Ruby." Blake said, a smirk on her face.

Ruby flushed and Weiss groaned.

They'd never live that down.

 ** _and then go home for some ramen...and some cuddle time with Yang. Wait, what if I combined the two...But where would I get a tub that big?_** **Naruto thought to himself again.**

"Hm, I do hear broth does wonderful things for the hair." Yang idly commented while she stroked her golden locks.

 **He would've said it aloud, but there was a whole ecosystem of internal organs dedicated to keeping him in place. Like, one of the tongues somehow inverted and bound around him like he was in one of Haku's dark fantasies. There was a damn reason Haku used a whip as an alternative weapon and, even though Kurama and Sasuke didn't see it – those fools thought Naruto was reading too much into it – Naruto was sure he was right about why that was.**

"Wow, who knew Haku was like that? It's always the quiet ones," Jaune said, looking at Blake and Ren.

"I'm not like that." Rena and Blake deadpanned in stereo. They then shared a bewildered look at randomly being on the same page.

"Hm…"

 **Hell, he was going to ask Jiraiya about it once he got out of this situation. If anyone would know, it would be the Super Pervert. It was required via the title to be knowledgeable on and have performed all kinks known to Man and Faunus alike. Yes, Jiraiya was an expert on Faunus kink as well as human. He said not only due to his title was it required, but also for his work, i.e., his pornographic tales that were disturbingly accurate in detail. Like that one part where Nimato stimulates his bed partner's breasts by manipulating his aura to–**

"Wait, wait, wait... What?!" Yang gaped.

Blake gained a blush. "That's, interesting…"

"Isn't that his parents?" Ruby gagged. "He read about his parents doing ... _that_?"

"That poor bastard." Jaune shook his head.

 ** _Damn my short attention span! Stop thinking about boobs, Brain, and focus on getting out of here!_** **Naruto mentally yelled at himself. His eyes squeezed shut and he shuffled his arms.** ** _If I can just get one hand free...Grr...c'mon, what do you have to do to get free from these things? The strength of ten men – Oh, wait, duh. Semblance!_**

 **Naruto's skin began to glow and his arms slowly began to push the inverted tongue away from his body. Good, now he could inhale. He could focus, and that meant–**

 ** _Is it me, or is something jabbing my si-? Oh shit!_** **Naruto silently swore as the stomach acid began to flood the chamber he was in. His loaned clothing already gone the path of his past clothes, but surprisingly, Rasen Guard was perfectly intact. In fact, the glow of the runes matched his skin's shine perfectly. Pushing those thoughts to the side, he lifted his left hand, since it was further spread from his body and now able to twist around, up and held the palm out.**

 **Golden aura fired in a constant stream from the center rune in his hand, burning through the tongue that bound him and a loud squeal of pain echoed in the chamber. Naruto winced at the volume – any Faunus would probably be deafened for at least a day before the effects wore off – but kept the heat on. His body free from the seared muscle, Naruto openly grinned and added his right hand to the mix, taking a bit too much enjoyment in the Creature of Grimm's pain.**

"That is a touch barbaric, just kill it and leave." Weiss shook her head.

"You'd do the same."

"I-I would not!" Weiss squawked at Blake's accusation.

 **"Yeah, ya like that you** ** _fuck_** **? Have some heartburn, courtesy of your Naruto-flavored snack!" Naruto aimed up and cut through the side, which earned him another eardrum-shattering squeal from the albino Graboid. Naruto grit his teeth and directed more aura into his beam.**

 **"Burn, motherfucker, burn!"**

"Back to the pits of Hades with you wretched creature of darkness!" A deep baritone voice shouted.

"Wow Jaune, nice voice acting." Ruby complimented. Her fellow team leader rubbed the back of his head.

"Thanks, I've been working on it on the side, you know, in case...this doesn't work." Jaune chuckled.

"It'll work." Pyrrha smiled at her team leader as she put a hand on his arm. The smile she got in return made her cheeks flush just slightly.

 **"I'm going to kill him." Jiraiya decided as they followed the racing behemoth beneath the ground in Gurt's truck. His eyes were glued to the seismograph that was tracking the large red dot. His eyes widened as the beacon ceased moving and disappeared from the screen. "What? Bunner! Your hunk of junk is malfunctioning again!"**

 **"I don't think that's the machine, sir," Haku said owlishly, his eyes glued to the front of the vehicle. Before Jiraiya could turn around in his seat to ask him what he meant, Gurt slammed on the breaks, which caused the white haired man to fly forward face-first into the dash.**

"Ah, comic relief, what would we do without." Nora wiped a tear from her eye.

Jaune smiled. "At least it wasn't me this time."

 **"Ow! Goddammit, Bunner, that hurt!" Jiraiya hollered as he covered his nose. He turned and glared at his acquaintance. "Hey, can I get an apology here?! My nose is broken!"**

 **"...Sorry..."**

 **"Wow, that sounded so sincere..." Jiraiya grumbled and rubbed his face. "Thank god aura heals so fast...bastard...If my face had been damaged...That's the money maker, dammit."**

 **"Pervy Sage, you really need to see this." Kurama pointed past the man.**

 **"What? What are you ... Oh." Jiraiya blinked as a beam of golden fire-like energy pierced through the ground into the sky.**

"Must, study, gauntlets." Ruby said, her breath erratic and her eyes were sparkling again.

 **"Well...I think it's safe to say I know why the machine malfunctioned...Would you check the size of that?"**

 **"Look at its length." Kurama mumbled.**

 **"Its girth is massive." Jiraiya added.**

"See? Giant penis!" Nora roared proudly.

"Yes, Nora, we see that." The rest of Team JNPR groaned at their loopy teammate.

 **"...You're both disgusting," Sasuke said dryly.**

 **"And yet you're the one that reads the dirty book, Sasuke."**

 **"Piss off, Kurama."**

 **"I think it's safe to say Naruto is still alive and his gauntlets are still intact this time," Haku said dryly. Their team leader was scarily durable. Like Kurama had told Sun, it would probably take an atomizing attack to completely eradicate his body or something with enough force to pierce Naruto's Semblance.**

"That is an odd and specific statement." Ruby frowned at the wording.

 **"Yes he is." Gurt chuckled. He put the truck in park, killed the engine, opened the door and hopped out. He pulled off a mounted shovel from the truck's hood and began to make his way over to where the beam had fired up.**

 **"Where are you going?" Jiraiya asked.**

 **"Gonna make sure that the kid doesn't die from suffocation. That or save the gauntlets if he already did." Gurt called over his shoulder. Jiraiya hurriedly got out of his seat and rushed after the older man, grumbling obscenities along the way about paranoid and selfish old coots.**

"Oh, I'm sure he's fine." Yang waved off, but scrunched her nose. "Though he's going to take a million showers, at least. And scrub his teeth."

"I thought you kept what you caught?" Blake asked.

"I have some standards, the taste of Grimm innards is not one of them."

 **"...Well, at least he has his priorities in order." Kurama drawled. He tapped his chin as Sasuke got out of the back to follow the two older men. "Makes me wonder how much those gloves would go for on the market..."**

 **"Kurama!" Haku admonished the Faunus.**

 **"What? It's not like anyone would be able to use them. Besides, this is the Invincible Idiot we're talking about. He's fine..." Kurama sounded a bit unsure of that. He looked at Haku and put a hand on his shoulder. "To be safe, I'd start thinking about how you'll tell Yang that her idiot died after being eaten by a giant worm."**

 **"...You're a horrible friend." Haku frowned.**

 **"Eh, so I've been told, but at least I'm not his enemy. Can you imagine what I'd be like then?" Kurama's question went unanswered as the two got out of the truck and followed the others. They had an idiot to dig out of a hole.**

"Huh, kinda short." Ruby noted. Weiss picked up the remote.

"And click." She changed the channel.

Yang gaped at the action. "Bitch!"

* * *

 **Reviews are Lovely!  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXIV: The Breach**

"So, let me see if I got this right," Coco Adel began while the rest of Team CFVY settled in the room, "This is some alternative world where we all still exist, but with there's new people and places in the mix?"

"Yep." Ruby nodded to her senior leader.

"And I have a little brother figure."

"Yes," Yang said, though she looked a little sour at the reminder. Possibly due to the other Coco interrupting her and Naruto's first make-out session.

"And in the _other_ one, _Fox_ has an adopted brother?"

Blake nodded while Fox looked mildly intrigued, if his arched brow was anything to go by.

"But in the first one, our little Velvet has a boytoy?" Coco crossed her arms. "Really?"

"Coco!" Velvet gave a squeak in protest while the watching teams nodded. She got a pat on the shoulder from her team leader.

"Vel, cupcake, this means you have a chance too! Finally!" Coco sat on the ground next to Fox and pulled Velvet down beside her. Her arms rested over her teammates' shoulders and she grinned. "Let's see how it goes!"

"Well, we're watching the Forced Perspective one-hey!" Weiss said to Yang, who had changed the channel.

"Suck it, Sneeze."

"…I _loath_ you."

"I bask in your hatred!" Yang smirked and returned her attention to her new favorite show.

 **"Keep on laughing, Pervy Sage, you'll fall asleep sometime. And when you do, I'll shave that mane of pride of yours right off." Naruto glared daggers at his giggling godfather.**

Yang frowned, she didn't like that way of thinking. At all. It showed Naruto had an evil side.

 **After he'd been 'rescued' from suffocation within the Grimm's carcass, which would have just dissolved into wisps anyway, Naruto was forced to sit in Gurt's beast of a truck with no more than a large thermal insulating blanket to keep him warm during the cold early hours of the desert's morning. They had to drive into town because Gurt was out of clothes that would fit the blond, and seeing as Rejection was** ** _so_** **lively, Naruto didn't really have much of a problem when he went into the general store basically naked. It was the damn weather that irritated him, mostly. For such a dry climate, the area was so freaking cold at night.**

"I guess there was a shrinkage problem." Coco chuckled.

Yang shook her head and smirked. "Nope, he should be good."

 **Well, admittedly it wasn't** ** _that_** **bad. Naruto was naturally a hot guy. Literally. His body temperature's average was well above the norm, quoted by the then head of nursing staff as being ideal for surviving the winters of Mantle's southernmost mountain peaks in thin clothes. Still, that didn't mean he particularly liked being cold.**

"See? We got fire in our souls." Yang smiled happily as her gaze became distant and her eyes a bit glossy.

"...Yang, you're tracing my thigh again. ...Yang?" Blake had to nudge her partner to snap her from whatever daydream she was having.

 **The other thing that really grated on his nerves – aside from being eaten by a giant rare albino Grimm that was easily a century or two old, aside from losing his clothes, aside losing his first gauntlets, the thing that** ** _really_** **grated on Naruto's nerves was when the cashier, a rather cute girl around his age (easily a seven out of ten), ignored him when he mentioned already having a girlfriend.**

"Bitch did what now?" Yang growled.

Coco adjusted her sunglasses and glanced at the rest of her underclassmen. "Is it always going to be like this with the guy?"

"You have no idea." Blake quirked her lips.

"Well, things just got a lot more interesting."

 **Then she had the gall to slip her scroll number into the front of his boxers. Seriously, paper cuts – or any cuts really – down there was a** ** _huge_** **no-no. And that wasn't the worst of it, oh no. That would be** ** _far_** **too tame. As if nearly giving lil' Naruto a cut wasn't enough, the flirty cashier did this act in plain view of his perverted godfather, who immediately started to scribble something into his notepad.**

"Dumb bitch." Yang grumbled and crossed her arms.

"Seven out of ten or not, that's a deal breaker." Jaune agreed with a stern nod.

 **So yeah, Naruto was planning on giving the number to Yang, just to see what would happen. Once he made it perfectly clear that he did not care for the woman's attitude towards him. Honestly, ogling his nude form like he was a slab of meat!**

 **The nerve of some people.**

"Clearly this madness must be corrected." Coco nodded as she looked over Naruto's strong frame. "Hm, eight, eight and a half out of ten."

"Puh-lease. He's a solid nine." Yang grinned.

"You seem so enamored with him, not a ten?" Coco asked.

"Naruto's lucky number is nine, it would seem." Blake explained dryly. "She was trying to make a joke."

"Not trying, succeeding!"

"Failing. Miserably." The rest of Team RWBY shot back.

"You three wouldn't know comedy if it came up and slapped you on the ass." Yang huffed.

 **"You have to admit, Naruto, she was persistent," Haku said with a small smile. Naruto gave him a dry glare out of the corner of his eye, sent a final glare to his godfather, and then moved his attention to the window of the bulkhead that had arrived** ** _very_** **early. Apparently, the pilot had been told by Jiraiya to arrive eight hours** ** _ahead_** **of the scheduled pick up time. This, according to the old pervert, would guarantee them a ride back into Vale.**

 **Little did Naruto know that Jiraiya made a rushed call for a new pilot to be in the area, calling in a favor because he needed to make Ozpin aware of the Graboid outbreak ASAP.**

 **"Ah, don't mind him, kid's just cranky he didn't get his sleep last night," Jiraiya said once he calmed down. He tilted his head out of the way of a thrown piece of scrap while he scratched another sentence into his notebook. The older huntsman cracked a smirk and glanced at his godson for a brief second.**

 **"You should be glad I bestowed upon you my woo-fu!"**

"A martial art?" Yatsuhashi asked curiously.

"The ancient art of picking up girls," Ren said with a small smile. Yatsuhashi nodded and folded his arms over his chest.

"Ah, a most challenging discipline."

"Indeed."

"More like impossible." Jaune muttered sourly.

 **Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he looked at Haku. "If I ever start to write dirty books, shoot me."**

 **"I'm pretty sure Yang would support that career," Kurama said thoughtfully.**

 **"Dead Faunus say what?" Naruto asked with a hard glare aimed at his red-themed teammate.**

"Oh, look, it's Vel's boytoy. Mm, he's got the wild look to him. Nice choice, Vel." Coco nodded in approval. Velvet looked as red as her last name.

 **"Shutting up."**

 **"** ** _Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch me, I wanna feel di-i-irty!_** **"**

 **Haku, Kurama, Sasuke and Jiraiya turned to the leader of Team NHKS as he pulled his scroll out.**

 **"What?" Naruto asked. He shrugged. "Yang loved the flick."**

 **"...When did you-?" Sasuke began.**

 **"We skipped a** ** _lot_** **of classes together." Naruto cut him off and opened the scroll. "Sup, Yan-? Whoa! Hang on, speak up. There's a lot of interference. What?"**

 **"** ** _The White Fang kidnapped my little sister, and they have this underground train heading for Vale filled with a_** **lot** ** _of Dust!_** **"**

"Oh, this is the part where we come in and kick ass right?" Coco smiled wide and proud.

"We kick ass, too." Yang hedged.

 **"How much Dust are we talking here?"**

 **"** ** _Enough to make sure that the Grimm outside the city find a way in!_** **"**

 **"...Why do you sound like you're overexerting yourself?" Naruto asked, taking note of a few grunts and growls that slipped out of his girlfriend's mouth.**

 **"** ** _Shut up! Get your ass back to Vale! And you! I'm trying to have a conversation!_** **" Yang yelled at someone (hopefully) other than him.**

"It's probably that ice cream headed floozy." Yang frowned as she recalled how she got her butt handed to her by the shorter girl, yet somehow lived even though the floozy in question was going for the kill.

"We never did see her again, did we?" Ruby frowned in thought.

"Thankfully, no."

 **The call ended with a click and Naruto looked up at the curious eyes aimed at him.**

 **"The White Fang are making their move." He said simply.**

 **"...Well, shit." Kurama surmised everyone's thoughts.**

 **Jiraiya's features turned hard as he put his notepad away. The self-proclaimed super pervert was in full on Huntsman mode as he lifted a fist and banged on the back of the pilot's seat.**

"Amazing, he can actually look serious." Weiss was mildly impressed.

 **"Get us back to Vale** ** _yesterday_** **!" He barked. "Use the V-Drive!"**

 **"Yes, sir!"**

 **Jiraiya returned his attention to the first year team.**

 **"We're going to move very fast in a very short amount of time, so brace yourselves, but don't buckle up. I want you to be ready for immediate response drops. Kurama, Sasuke, you've both trained for it. Haku?"**

 **"I assume it's similar to a worst case scenario escape," Haku said.**

 **"Yeah, something like that," Kurama said, his voice rising as the engines on the Bulkhead suddenly gained an enormous increase in volume to the already loud roar. "You ever see any of those movies where the characters jump out of an airship and get right to the battle?"**

 **"Yeah?"**

 **"Be sure to tuck and roll, it displaces the kinetic force. Don't just land feet first, always roll!" Sasuke yelled over the engines. Haku raised a thumb in understanding.**

"Where's the fun in that?" Yatsuhashi scratched the back of his head.

"Not all of us are built like a tank, big guy." Jaune told his senior.

"Aura will cushion the fall." Coco commented nonchalantly.

"...Not all of us are good with aura..." Jaune added sheepishly.

 **"Now, what exactly is happening?" Jiraiya asked his godson, who then relayed to him what his girlfriend had said. The simple, yet intricate, plot that the terrorist cell came up with made Jiraiya's features darken. He leaned back and banged on the pilot's seat again.**

 **"I don't care if it kills us! Get us back to Vale in less than an hour or I'll throw you out of your goddamn seat and fly us there myself!"**

"But I just got my license!" Jaune wailed.

Nora slapped on a pair of sunglasses. "Consider it revoked."

Jaune shook his fist in the air. "I knew I should have gone to clown school!"

"Do you two mind taking your antics elsewhere, we are trying to watch." Weiss glared at them.

"But Weiss, I thought you didn't care about this one?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"...I want to see him fall." Weiss muttered with narrowed eyes.

 **They made it to Vale in record time, fifty minutes and fifty-five seconds to be precise. A door on the right side of the Bullhead opened and revealed the wondrous sight of Vale's towering buildings to the freshmen and experienced Huntsman. Naruto was the first out of his seat, going to the open side of the Bullhead and scouring the area. His eyes landed on a sea of black and white beyond a tower of smoke and he waved Sasuke over.**

 **"Get me an IZ!" Naruto called over the Bullhead's roaring engines.**

 **Sasuke nodded and held his right arm up, with black aura crackling around his hand. The sky darkened over the sea of Grimm, who turned their attention to the boys' Bullhead. Various screams, shrieks and screeches were barely heard as thunder rumbled overhead. Sasuke threw his arm down and a large bolt of lightning fired down onto the many Creeps and Beowolves. The strike eradicated a good portion of the Grimm creatures, but still left a considerable amount to deal with.**

 **"There's your IZ! Do me a favor and don't get yourself killed!" Sasuke told his team leader, who looked at him with a grin.**

 **"C'mon, this is me we're talking about!" Naruto returned.**

"You'd have to shove him into the vacuum of space to kill him." Weiss said casually.

"…That's sadistically dark, Schnee." Coco commented.

"I have other ideas."

"For the love of, all he did was give you a nickname and put tape over your mouth." Yang muttered.

"His 'prank' nearly killed me and he calls me 'Sneeze'!"

Team CFVY all stifled their snickers when they learned the nickname in question.

 **"I'm only saying it so Yang doesn't try to kill me when you tell her about this!" Sasuke said before he shoved the blond forward. The raven-haired teen turned and looked at his two other teammates as well as his team leader's godfather before he shrugged.**

 **"He was wasting time chatting it up and probably would've showboated."**

 **"Yeah, he'd do that." Kurama agreed. "For the best."**

 **"You're probably right." Haku shook his head begrudgingly.**

 ** _Minato, like you, I've taught him so well._** **Jiraiya thought as he quickly wiped a tear of pride from his eye and hid the smile that wanted to form on his face.**

 **"That dick. I was totally going to say something awesome!" Naruto growled as he fell toward the creatures of Grimm that eagerly awaited his arrival to their level.**

"I know how he feels!" Coco nodded. She pointed her thumb at Fox. "I usually do most of the talking for this guy. And, well, the whole team. It's hard to be the spunky girl all the time."

"Amen to that." Yang agreed.

 **Rasen Guard unfolded from their glove form to encase his hands. Naruto's hair resembled flickering flames and his skin shone brightly, golden eyes narrowed as he approached the ground. Naruto twisted himself around seconds before he hit the ground, using his fist create a massive shockwave that knocked the Grimm into the air.**

 **It also left a rather remarkably sized crater in the previously, remarkably untouched pavilion.**

 **"How's** ** _that_** **for leaving a mark on the world?" Naruto asked himself with a chuckle.**

Ruby held up a sign with a six on it, Blake raised a seven, Weiss held up a three, and Yang displayed a picture of herself.

"Yang, you aren't a score." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Shows what you know, I'm a whopping ten baby!"

 **He brought his fists up defensively while the Grimm recovered from his ground shaking entrance and started to swarm him. A mad, bloodthirsty grin spread across his face as he punched the nearest Creep across the face, sending it skidding back. Naruto used the aura thrusters on his palms to quickly back away from a group of Beowolves that tried to dog pile on him. He turned on his heel to deliver a firm punch into another Creep that attempted to catch him in its mouth.**

 **"Aw man, I just got these." Naruto grimaced as the Grimm's saliva caked his fist. He did punch it in the roof of its mouth, and while that resulted in the Creep's head being removed from the body, and lower jaw, it had the side effect of leaving some residue on Naruto's hand. The golden Huntsman-in-training shook his hand out in an attempt to rid himself of the sticky substance.**

"He's a little powerhouse it seems." The gentle giant hummed with interest.

"... _Little_?" Jaune repeated doubtfully.

 **"Pay attention, idiot!" Kurama called as he landed in a roll a few feet away and pulled out Ri Kudo in its rifle mode. Naruto ducked as a bullet fired into a Beowolf that tried to sneak up on him.**

 **"Eh-heh...Thanks, Kurama," Naruto said with a sheepish grin. He held his hand to his immediate left and fired an aura blast. The Borbatusk that had been in the midst of charging at them squealed and toppled to its side, skidding between the two, and resting a couple of feet away.**

 **Sasuke landed atop the boar-like Grimm, which squealed in protest. Amaterasu impaled into the young Grimm's underbelly, and his feet planted firmly on the masked head and the armor-less flank. Sasuke stood up and spun around. The sword in his hand shifted into its bow form and fired three pre-loaded arrows into three Beowolves that were closing in.**

"Hm, elegant." Coco remarked. "He's the cool guy, I bet."

"He _thinks_ he is." Jaune told her.

"Like you do?"

"I got the fire extinguisher if you want it, Jaune."

"Thank you, Nora." Jaune flatly replied.

 **"Flashy, thought that was our fearless leader's shtick," Kurama said, using the butt of Ri Kudo's rifle mode to bash down another ballsy Beowolf before he unloaded four rounds into its' chest.**

 **"Thought I'd mix it up a bit. On your six, down!" Sasuke told his partner. The Faunus ducked as three more arrows impaled a Creep right in the eye. It collapsed mid-charge and took out two flanking Borbatusks.**

 **"Where's Haku?" Naruto asked as he held off the claws of an Ursa that was trying to take a good chunk out of him.**

 **As if to answer his question, a familiar Dust crystal-tipped whip wrapped around the Ursa's neck. A sharp pull separated the bear-like Grimm's head from its shoulders, relieving Naruto of his problem. Haku's weapon quickly switched into its semi-automatic form, before he and his teammates went back to back in the center of their small square. The team leader used his aura blasts to keep the larger Grimm at bay while Haku sprayed down the smaller, less armored ones, with Sasuke and Kurama using precise shots to bring down some of the numbers.**

"They work well together," Yatsuhashi mused and Fox nodded in agreement. The gentle giant gave the blind mute a light shove and the copper-skinned teen gave a smirk in his general direction.

"Most teams do with the kinds of practices we have, but yeah, they got each other's bases covered tight." Coco lowered her glasses. "Like their bums. Now that's a quartet I can look at with a smile."

Velvet, despite blushing up a storm and silently agreeing with the _ass_ essment, wanted to chide her leader, but she knew it wouldn't do any good.

 **"So, what's the plan, Naruto?" Haku asked as three shots of his dust crystals took down a few more Beowolves. He quickly turned and put down another group of Grimm.**

 **Naruto caught the snout of an older, heavily armored Borbatusk in one hand and pressed his other palm against the side of its head. A quick blast of aura reduced the creature's head to black wisps, and its body dropped to the ground. Naruto's eyes flashed a blinding gold before his semblance flared to life.**

 **"We'll kill 'em all!" Naruto ordered. He looked over his shoulder at the fox-tailed Faunus. "Kurama, thin the herd on the wall's side! Sasuke, Haku, cover his back and be ready to reload and evac!"**

 **"I thought you'd never ask!" Kurama smirked as he shifted Ri Kudo back into the monk staff form. A firm swat knocked aside a leaping Creep before the Faunus held the ringed tip out towards the Grimm on his side, those that had their backs to the large barrier wall around Beacon's edge. A little grin spread across his face as the top of the ring separated and opened, the ring becoming a small trident. The smaller rings on the rim magnetically aligned themselves to perfectly balance around the larger ring. The three tips sparked with energy before a small black orb formed at the end.**

"…What's that?" Ruby whispered as she stared interestedly at the small black star. "It's pretty."

"Vel's boytoy has some time to shine? Well, for his sake, I hope he lives up to the hype."

Velvet pouted, she doubted Kurama was a boytoy. Though while he seemed a little crude, he also seemed to be an okay boy thus far.

 **"What is that?" Haku asked, his attention drawn away from the Grimm charging at him for a brief millisecond to admire the growing black orb. It was nearly the size of a grapefruit by this point.**

 **"That, Haku, is basically every Grimm's biggest desire and worst nightmare wrapped up in one," Sasuke said. He dropped an alpha Beowolf before he looked over at the androgynous teen. "Don't stare at it too long. Your retinas will burn."**

"But it's so pretty!" Ruby protested.

"Ruby," Weiss frowned. "Stop looking at the black star of possible doom."

"Aww."

 **"Baked potato, going in hot in three...two...Hope you like your dinner!" Kurama cackled as his thumb pressed down on a lifted section of the staff. The orb shot out and flew past three rows of Grimm, immediately disintegrating any that came in the slightest of contact with it, before it stopped about fifty feet in the middle of the crowd. Kurama slumped back, caught by Naruto, who jumped up and pushed off a Creep's head.**

"Hm, he seems like a bit of a quick trigger."

"Coco!" Velvet squeaked. Coco waved her off.

"He just needs more stamina." Coco grinned. "I'm sure you can help him with that."

Velvet choked on air as her face glowed.

 **"We're gonna fall back to that roof!" Naruto pointed at a distant building just on the edge of the square as he pulled Kurama over his shoulders and continued to jump from the head of one Grimm to the next. Sasuke and Haku wasted no time and followed his example, the latter disappearing into a mirror and reappearing at a distant building's rooftop. Naruto and Sasuke jumped up off of the tail of a Deathstalker and scaled the building's wall.**

 **Haku grabbed Kurama's arms and pulled him up from Naruto's shoulders, allowing the team leader to climb up without issue. Sasuke turned and took position on the corner of the rooftop, his bow out and picking off Beowolves that pursued them. Naruto and Haku helped Kurama rest against an air vent, before the blond looked out at the black orb, still hovering over the horde's wall end. Naruto looked back at Kurama expectantly.**

 **"Well?"**

 **"Give me a damn second..." The Faunus grumbled out, his breathing a bit labored. "Keeping it condensed like that from this distance is a bitch and a half."**

"So it _does_ go boom…"

"Ruby, please stop sounding so creepy." Weiss said tiredly.

 **"Then stop condensing it."**

 **"We're not far enough-"**

 **"We are! Now blow the damn thing!"**

 **"Fine! ...One order of mashed potatoes, coming up." Kurama lifted his thumb off of the exposed button on his staff.**

 **The black orb, which was being crowded around by the swarm of Grimm, suddenly expanded to fill the entirety of the square. It encased all of the Grimm within the blink of an eye. Even a Nevermore was unable to escape as it flew overhead, its last cry silenced as it was disintegrated when its largest talon grazed the edge of the black orb. Then, it rapidly shrank. It imploded on itself and revealed a large spread of desolate, scorched dirt in place of what was once a Grimm filled pavilion. No sign of life, Human, Faunus or Grimm, remained. Thankfully, it was only those in the final category that fell victim to this large eradication of life.**

"…The crap?" Coco said as her glasses slid off her face. Fox nudged her and mimed an explosion. "It...Yeah, the black star of doom just _decimated_ a block."

Fox rubbed his chin and seesawed his hand.

"If you could see it, you'd be impressed."

"How did-no, what did he-!" Weiss struggled to understand what just happened.

"It was like some sort of imploding bomb," Blake said in awe.

 **"What was-?" A massive window shattering and mind numbing boom drowned Haku's question out. The four teens were knocked from their feet and to the ground, their hands clapped firmly over their ears and grimaces of pain over each of their faces.**

 **"I told you we were too close you brain-dead hairless simian!" Kurama shouted at his team leader. He cringed again. "God...Damn, my head hurts!"**

 **"What?!" Naruto shouted back. "Gah, dammit!"**

 **"What the hell was that!?" Haku shouted. "Argh!"**

 **"What?!" Sasuke asked. His eyes screwed tight. "Shit!"**

 **This continued for about five minutes before the boys' haze cleared away. But, during those five minutes, the explosion was heard and reacted to all over Beacon.**

"Son of a-!" Yang gaped. "He's carrying a mini-nuke?"

"That was the best thing ever. I. Must. Have. One…" Ruby salivated at the mouth over the weapon.

"No! No death star of doom for you!" Weiss sternly told her.

"But! But-!"

"NO!"

 **"Ballsy little shits," Jiraiya said as he stood beside Ozpin in the headmaster's office, a smirk on his face as he stared out over at Vale. He sent a glance over to the headmaster. "So...Where's Jimmy?"**

 **"The General has ...stepped out." Ozpin uneasily answered.**

 **"Ah...He's gone to assert Atlas' dominance over Vale." Jiraiya nodded. "When the Council hears of this, they will pull you off the defense of Vytal and put Mr. Military Might in charge."**

 **"...Most likely."**

 **"Ah...Well, when we get the one responsible for this, don't tell Jimmy where he gets locked up."**

"So he has Torchwick? Good, maybe we can learn something now." Blake nodded.

"Hopefully we find out this time." Yang totally agreed.

 **Jiraiya turned and began to head for the doors, which opened as Glynda entered. Jiraiya gave her a longer-than-necessary glance over before he walked out. Glynda, visibly disgusted with the older man's lust, walked up to stand beside her friend.**

 **"James' estimated time of arrival is in forty-five minutes," she said.**

 **"I see...Then we have ten to get the rest of the advanced students on our Bullheads and support Dr. Oobleck." Ozpin mused. He kept his gaze on smoking pavilion that had just been encased in a large black dome. His grip on his cane was tight and his lips pursed.**

 ** _And the people frown on Atlas for its support of militarized training._** **The headmaster furrowed his brow.** ** _What is going on in those villages of Vacuo, I wonder?_**

"Genetic altering?"

"Weiss, that's nuts." Jaune told her.

"It would explain a lot though!" The heiress sternly countered. "Like jumping into the clouds!"

"That can be done easily." Coco waved her off. "There was a guy in our first year who could jump to the fifth floor of the dorms."

"Without a semblance."

"Yeah, your point?" Coco asked.

 **In the elevator down to the Jiraiya pulled out a red scroll, marked with a black activation button and it popped open. He searched through the various contacts, all marked with various combinations of punctuation symbols. Halfway through the list he stopped and selected one. A calling icon appeared on the screen and he lifted the scroll up to his ear.**

 **"** ** _One silly monkey jumped on the bed._** **" A gruff male voice spoke into the phone.**

 **"Ma kicked down the door and brained him in the head." Jiraiya responded.**

"…Wha?" Ruby said.

"It was a code phrase." Blake told her leader.

"Oh. I knew that."

 **"** ** _Hehehe, nice to hear a friendly voice after such a long time. So what's the skizzy, Boss-Man? What'cha need this old fool to do for you?_** **"**

 **"You watching the news?"**

 **"** ** _Well, no, not really. Just got out of the local jail, apparently I was spending too much time watching a lovely group of birds...Wish you were here, would've been_** **great** ** _inspiration._** **"**

 **"Find the nearest Tavern and watch the news." Jiraiya answered. "Vale's been hit, the Queen's plan moved...ahead of schedule."**

 **"** ** _Oh-ho-ho...So it's been busted, then?_** **"**

 **"Jimmy's going to want the 'mastermind's head on a platter," Jiraiya said. The elevator doors dinged open and he walked out. "Probably snatch him up with his little gizmos and gadgets. Make a big Atlesian show of it."**

 **"** ** _Typical Mantler._** **" The man scoffed. "** ** _Gotta show off his toys to compensate for the boys!_**

"Huh, that makes sense." Coco agreed.

"It's not true." Weiss said in defense of Atlas.

"Then why are the toy dolls so big?" Coco asked. Weiss faltered for an answer before finally just settling for an upturned nose and a huff. Coco smirked and looked back at the screen.

Yeah, she was right.

 ** _Now we Wanderin' boys-!_** **"**

 **"Get girls off** ** _without_** **toys." Jiraiya laughed in agreement. "Speaking of boys and girls, your grandson has discovered a little squeeze that was once part of the Fangs."**

"…I am _not_ a squeeze." Blake said with pink cheeks. She suddenly yelped and glared at Yang. Yang waved the fingers of the hand that had just pinched Blake's booty, a toothy grin on her face.

"I beg to differ."

"I will kill you in your sleep." The cat Faunus swore.

"Worth it."

 **"** ** _...Well, is she worth the risk?_** **"**

 **"If I were thirty years younger, I'd beat your grandson black and blue to get some of it."**

 **"** ** _Ah, his mother thought she could keep my influence out by sending him off to Haven, but I_** **knew** ** _that he'd succumb to the wiles of women with or without my help!_** **" the man cackled. "** ** _How's he looking? The lil' Sun able to, uh...?_** **"**

 **"He's malleable, as are his teammates, but it's too soon to tell."**

 **"** ** _I see..._** **" The man on the other end let out a sharp exhale. "** ** _So, this was a call to brag, then?_** **"**

 **"No, this is purely professional. That's just a bonus."**

 **"** ** _You saggy ol' cock._** **"**

 **"At least I'm able-bodied enough to keep using mine without assistance."**

"Can someone fast forward, please?" Velvet asked with a red face. She really did not want to hear this.

 **"** ** _Oh, so you and Ms. Lefty are getting married? Gonna wear two rings on your finger?_** **"**

 **"Cute." Jiraiya smirked. The amusement on his face fell as he resumed his walk. "Listen, I'm going to extract the wick from the wax. We'll play a few hands of poker at the pub after, okay?"**

 **"** ** _Yeah, yeah, I'll be waiting. Anything else?_** **"**

 **"Yes." Jiraiya smirked as he opened the main building of Beacon's doors to the sounds of distant roars and explosions, as well as gunfire and Bullhead engines overhead. "Tell Ma and Pa that the tadpole's finally lost his tail."**

 **"** ** _Tch, biased ol' fart._** **"**

 **"Don't believe me, challenge him to a spar. He's a bit of a dumbass, but he's ready."**

"It's some secret conspiracy stuff!" Ruby gasped in shock.

"You've been watching too many spy shows again." Yang told her.

"No! I was reading Blake's stuff."

Blake turned red and whipped her head in her team leader's direction. "When did you-?!"

"What was it called? The Spy Who Shagged Me? Weird name though…And a lot of parts I didn't get. Like, how does a train ride on you?"

Coco grinned, "Nice, I like that series, too."

Blake was at a loss of words.

 **"** ** _Maybe I will._** **" The man snorted. "** ** _You and Sarutobi sure like to boast about Kon's Fire, but I wonder if it can stand up to mine. See you tonight, I'll bring the deck._** **"**

 **Jiraiya ended the call with a smirk still plastered on his face. He rolled his neck and slid the scroll shut. His eyes snapped open and golden orbs replaced the normally dark shade. The scroll in his grasp was crushed into dust as his facial markings turned from red to a similar shade of gold as his eyes. Reaching the edge of the school's boundary, the old Huntsman crouched down like a frog.**

 **"I've been in the need for some exercise." Jiraiya muttered before he shot up into the sky, leaving a large crater in his wake.**

 **"Ugh, god, what the hell was that?" Haku asked again once he and his team lost the haze that had overcome them, completely unaware of the dramatic tension soon to unfold around them. He chanced a glance over the edge and grimaced. "Oh dammit..."**

 **"Wow, Haku swore. Never thought I'd see the day," Sasuke said lowly.**

"And he was such a proper boy, too." Weiss sighed wistfully.

"Oh stop it with the drama, you trap lover." Yang huffed, which made Weiss glare at her.

"Think we could see him in a dress? I bet he'd look cute." Coco asked aloud and Velvet's eyes glazed over a little.

 **He followed Haku's gaze and joined him in grimacing. "Shit, look at how many there are..."**

 **"Residue malice must've brought them – Nevermore!" Kurama called out, the four teens dropping to the back to the roof to avoid being plucked up by the shrieking Grimm as it soared overhead. Naruto got to his feet, held his hand out, aimed at the retreating airborne Grimm, and took out the creature with a focused beam of aura.**

 **"Ha! Nailed it!" Naruto grinned widely.**

Yang gave him two thumbs up with a bright smile. "You sure did, Babe."

"Shame he's not real to nail you." Weiss mocked.

"...Wow, that...That was the crudest thing you've ever said to me." Yang beamed at her. "I'm so proud of you, Sneeze!"

"Dammit, Yang!"

 **He was rewarded with a sharp Charlie-horse courtesy of the staff that belonged to only Faunus on his team, which resulted in the blond crumpling to the ground with his hands on his knees. "Gah! Dick!"**

 **"That is for not listening to me when I said we weren't far enough!" Kurama snarled. He moved to the edge of the building and began to pick off Grimm, grumbling under his breath with each shot.**

 **"Would one of you please answer my question?" Haku asked, annoyed that some sort of very powerful anti-Grimm weapon of mass destruction had momentarily deafened him.**

 **"That, Haku, was the Beast Bomb." Sasuke answered. He took down another Beowolf that had begun to climb up the side of the building they had perched on before he continued. "It's powered by all the negative feelings of the one who creates it, and being a discriminated Faunus, you could say that Kurama has a good source of negative feelings."**

"He can weaponize discrimination?" Blake asked, unsure how to truly feel about that.

"That's a bit much," Velvet frowned and wondered if anyone else could do such a technique.

 **"Understatement of the century," Kurama said under his breath. He picked off an Ursa with a few centered shots aimed at its left eye. Haku stepped up beside him and fired down at the horde.**

 **"And the explosion?" Haku asked.**

 **"I'm not familiar on the technical jargon, but I know that it's based off of a semblance that my father witnessed in his youth, back during the end of the Faunus Revolution." Kurama explained. "He was among many who survived a massive Grimm attack because of that one semblance, but the one who used it died soon after, their aura drained and killed by a radical racist."**

"That's a scary semblance, like, way too over powered." Jaune shivered at the thought.

"Man, just when I thought things couldn't get crazier!" Nora awed.

 **"Go humanity, way to promote equality." Naruto mock cheered with a fist raised. He fired a beam of aura down at a Deathstalker that was preparing to launch a boulder with its tail. The scorpion-like Grimm let out a shrill squeal as its back was roasted by Naruto's aura.**

 **"Hence why the attack is called a 'Beast Bomb.'" Kurama summarized.**

"So, is there a Human Bomb?"

Blake palmed her face. "Really Ruby?"

"What? It's a fair question!"

"Let's not get into this." Pyrrha said to the two. Blake nodded in agreement and Ruby pouted.

She wanted a super special awesome explosive Grimm-killing move!

 **"I see," Haku said with a nod. "Because it's a slur thrown at Faunus was 'beast', by using that term in an attack of such proportions, it would make those who witness it hesitant to use the slur."**

 **"Exactly." Kurama nodded.**

"That's some reinforcement against a slur." Weiss muttered.

"When's the last time you heard someone call a Faunus that?" Blake asked, eyes wide with worry.

"...Oh god."

"Exactly."

 **He picked off another Ursa and turned when he saw several more Bullheads heading for a specific courtyard a block or so away. "Hey, ten lien says the main breach is over that way."**

 **"Fool's bet." Naruto scoffed. He cracked his knuckles and let his semblance flare up to the point his body was almost releasing flickers of aura. "Wanna sneak over or have some fun?"**

"Oh, have your fun boys, we'll take care of a good part of the mess." Coco waved it off, a grin on her face. She liked guys with a good sense of fun.

 **"Do you have to ask?" Sasuke smirked as he began to spark lightly.**

 **"Haku and I will cover from the roofs," Kurama said, and Haku nodded in agreement.**

 **"Awesome. Which side you want, Sasuke? Meat, or potatoes?" Naruto asked, gesturing to the larger Grimm on the right (Ursa and Creeps of various ages and a few Deathstalkers) first and then to the smaller Grimm (Beowolves, smaller Creeps and Borbatusks).**

 **"I think I've had my share of protein earlier," Sasuke smirked. He gestured to the edge. "After you, fearless leader."**

 **"Why thank you." Naruto grinned. He jumped off the edge with a backflip into a dive. "Banzai!"**

 **"Show off." Sasuke mumbled. He hopped over the edge simply, firing a few arrows in his descent.**

 **Kurama shook his head and turned to Haku. "Get over to the other building and make me a bridge to climb across with your whip."**

 **"Are you sure you don't want me to help –?"**

 **"Hey, my tail allows me better balance than most of you hairless monkeys have," Kurama said with a smirk.**

"I wish Vel had a bunny tail, it'd be adorable." Coco sighed wistfully.

"Coco!" Velvet screamed in embarrassment and indignation.

"Aww." Ruby cooed at the thought. She wanted to pet it!

 **"Maybe not on Sun's level, but definitely more than Sasuke's, and he can run across it."**

 **"Fair enough." Haku conceded and backed into a mirror to appear on the building he was told to go to. He glanced down at the sea of Grimm and looked to his teammates that chose to take the low ground.**

 **The two rivals had landed on the edge of the horde, with Naruto's impact making the few nearby Grimm pause and observe the two cautiously. These Grimm were obviously not newborns like the last massive group was, as they were covered in white boney armor and left very little room for gaps in their defense. The two teens smirked, with the blond already starting to glow while his semblance amped up and the raven-haired teen sparking in anticipation.**

 **"First to the finish owes the other a lunch?" Sasuke asked while he shifted Amaterasu back into a sword.**

 **"Sounds fair to me." Naruto agreed with a nod. He looked up at the building's rooftop. "Hey, Kurama! Wanna start a race?"**

 **"Yeah, sure! It's not like we're doing anything** ** _that_** **important!"**

"Yeah, nothing like an invasion to get a good race started. Maybe they'll even have ribbons!"

"Really?" Ruby asked Weiss excitedly.

The heiress gave her a deadpan. "No."

"Drat," Ruby said with a frown. "I wanted the blue one."

 **Kurama's sarcasm flew into Naruto's ear and was shot out like a rocket from the other, the leader's excitement at the prospect of having a contest that wouldn't result in suspension making him numb to such traits.**

 **"C'mon! It'll be fun! If I win, Sasuke will have to buy us all lunch!"**

 **"That wasn't part of the bet!"**

 **"Okay, if I lose I have to buy you guys lunch, too!"**

 **"Hm... I get a free meal either way. Eh, what the hell," Kurama said. He took a few carefully aimed shots at the nearest Grimm to keep them at bay before he cleared his voice. "Ready...!"**

"On your marks!" Ruby raised a hand.

 **Naruto grinned and brought his left hand up, the right curled into a fist with his elbow at his side.**

 **"Set...!"**

"Get set." Blake raised a checkered flag.

 **Sasuke flipped Amaterasu around to hold it in reverse, black arcs of electricity starting to dance along the blade as he bent his knees.**

 **"** ** _Go_** **!"**

"Go!" Yang flashed her boobs for a quick second.

"Dang it Yang!" Ruby shouted.

"What? They do that all the time in street races. There was this one time I had to-"

Blake stuffed a cookie in her mouth.

"Thank you." The leader of RWBY said to her sister's partner.

Coco hummed. "Not a bad set."

 **The two teens rushed into the horde of Grimm.**

 **Violence and chaos soon followed.**

 **Naruto's first step shattered the sidewalk he pressed off of, which gave him a slight advantage over Sasuke's normal sprint. However, Naruto was stuck with the 'meat' of the horde, a huge disadvantage considering the Grimm were easily the size of at least a car or at most, in the case of the single Deathstalker, a Bullhead. Not that this bothered Naruto all that much. He was a Huntsman by nature, had the blood of warriors in his veins, and the challenge excited him. It wasn't often he got to use his semblance to boost his strength to ten times that of a normal human, after all. Granted, that was usually because of the consequence in doing so: exhaustion. Once Naruto started to 'burn' his body to the tenth 'degree' or further, he burned through his massive reserves** ** _fast_** **, which left him tired or, in rare instances, unconscious. Aura could only do so much, after all, and, though Naruto was a natural bouncing ball of energy** ** _without_** **his semblance, he had limits like any other person.**

 **Naruto pumped aura through his elbows, where the vent was located to give him an increase in speed. His gaze was locked on the main obstacle in his path, the big bad Deathstalker that had thrown a rock earlier. It shrieked at him defiantly and lifted its pincer in preparation to catch the blond, but then Naruto cut the aura he sent to the vents and quickly sent a large burst through his palms. The propulsion lifted Naruto off the ground high enough to clear the pincers.**

 **Naruto curled his right hand into a tight fist and used another burst through his elbow vent to rapidly spin himself in the air, which caused the descending stinger to be deflected. This left the Deathstalker's head completely unprotected and allowed Naruto to, while still spinning, drill his fist through its mask. The squeal of pain that escaped the Deathstalker was loud and shattered whatever glass remained after the Beast Bomb had gone off.**

 **Naruto's fist became stuck in the Deathstalker's carcass, causing him to rapidly lose his spin. He fell onto his stomach and groaned. That stunt had made him** ** _far_** **too dizzy.**

"I know, super spins can be a real pain." Nora nodded in agreement.

"We keep telling you not to do it." Jaune pointed out.

"But I like the feeling!" The hammer girl whined.

 **"Worst. Idea. Ever." Naruto mumbled as he got back to his feet, a bit lightheaded. It felt like his brain hadn't stopped spinning and he swayed from side to side with each step he made. Add the growls, snarls and roars of the surrounding Grimm and...Oh, that's right.**

 **Grimm.**

 ** _Man, I chose the_** **worst** ** _times to try new things..._** **Naruto thought as an Ursa tackled him into the side of a building.**

 **Needless to say, Naruto's head wasn't spinning anymore.**

"…That was my favorite accessory store." Coco pursed her lips, "Fucker gonna die."

"Coco, let's take it easy." Yatsuhashi said.

"No."

"I'm sure Naruto will bring swift vengeance," Yang said.

"He'd better."

 **Sasuke raced through the Grimm ranks and cut down the many 'potatoes' he took for himself. They might usually end up with draws whenever they sparred, but in races, Sasuke had Naruto beat. Especially when there were obstacles.**

"He runs right through them, doesn't he?" Blake dryly remarked.

Nora giggled. "I'd do it!"

 **Naruto was bullheaded and powered through most of his obstacles, he showed finesse and agility when it was needed, but he failed to grasp the reasoning behind some of them. Sometimes it wasn't how you conquered something, it was how you avoided confronting it. Not the best philosophy, but Sasuke wasn't trying to teach or learn philosophy when he finally understood this lesson.**

 **During obstacle races in Kon Academy, Sasuke wanted to win, to have the best time and score.**

 **Sasuke wanted, no, he** ** _needed_** **to be** ** _the_** **best so that he could go after that man.**

 **Itachi.**

"Ah, the scary dude that Sasuke hates…right?" Velvet questioned.

"Yep! I bet he has a duck butt, too!"

"No one is assuming this Nora." Ren told her.

"Well, I am. It must be in the gene pool!"

 **Ironically, the man he hated more than any other on Remnant was mostly the reason that Sasuke was as good as he was. Sasuke would tackle a problem like he believed Itachi would, and it was through this method of thought that brought Sasuke to the top of the class, able to analyze and determine situations in the blink of an eye. Granted, that was expected of any Uchiha Huntsman (prior to Itachi's incident) by most of the people in Kon. It was hard to try and live up to that kind of expectation, doubly so when Sasuke's father was 'blessed' with a natural Huntsman such as Itachi (who graduated from Kon's academy at the young age of seven, graduated from Shade Academy at age ten, then became a rising star in Vacuo by age fifteen) and then bore the second 'average' son.**

"…Holy hell, that's a lot to live up to. Man, he sounds like Weiss almost." Yang whistled.

Weiss actually nodded in agreement. She'd thought she was living in the shadow of her family, but that? That was actually a bit more to live up to.

 **In a way, Sasuke's desire to be the best was also a way to throw his father's expectations back in his father's face.**

 **But, that is a mental evaluation best left for another time.**

 **"Already at the corner, Uzumaki!" Sasuke shouted over his shoulder.**

 **"Screw off, Duck – Oi! I'm not talking to** ** _you_** **!" A loud pained roar was followed by a massive bang, presumably from a wall's collapse.**

 **Sasuke shook his head, his small grin still on his face. Naruto was a dumbass, but at least he was a determined dumbass. The amusement and exhilaration Sasuke felt vanished once he went around the bend. He skidded to a stop once as he came across a shocking sight. Words failed to leave his lips and sounds started to become muted as, for a brief moment, his eyes locked with familiar red eyes belonging to another. The owner of the eyes absentmindedly retracted a blade from the chest of an ancient Ursa, covered in spines and boney armor, and turned towards him.**

 **Raven locks pulled back into a loose ponytail, falling only to the shoulders. Facial features that were more mature and a tad slightly more hardened than Sasuke's own, but still very similar in structure, being one of masculine beauty.**

"Wow, and I thought Haku was a pretty boy…" Yang's jaw dropped little.

Weiss' face heated up. "Th-That is certainly a handsome gentleman."

"I'd tap it. You Vel?"

"Coco!"

"That's not a no."

 **The man was tall, easily an inch or so shorter than Professor Ozpin, who was tall in his own right. He wore a dark trench coat that bore a singular red mushroom-like cloud on the right shoulder, and in the hand that barely popped out from that sleeve was a hook-sword, presumably half of a set. It was easily three feet long and gleamed in the daylight. A marking that Sasuke could faintly make out was enough to draw one word from his lips.**

 **"Susanoo..." Sasuke glanced back up at the red eyes belonging to the owner of the sword. His grip tightened around Amaterasu and black sparks danced over his eyes. At this, the man made a sound of interest.**

 **"I believe father misnamed our weapons, perhaps you should bear the Susanoo." His voice was low and smooth, but his gaze, though seemingly disinterested, was intense.**

"And this is the dude who killed an entire clan dedicated to hunting Grimm?" Jaune asked. He swallowed heavily. "Man, they really know how to hype this guy up."

"He _is_ the hype." Nora agreed.

 **"...Itachi..." Sasuke began to tremble. Every bone, every vessel of blood, every ounce of aura, were screaming for him to attack. Now. He was here. But his mind knew, Sasuke** ** _knew_** **, that stopping the Grimm was far more important than any confrontation.**

 **The man, Itachi, arched a brow and glanced behind Sasuke.**

 **"There's far too many for me to enthrall. I hadn't expected this many, but perhaps, for my situation, it's for the best." Itachi mused. He slipped Susanoo into a custom-crafted holster on the left interior of his coat and then rested his hand at his side. "I had not anticipated seeing you, little brother. I'm sure you are barely withholding your rage. That is wise. You are nowhere near strong enough to kill me."**

 **"...I want answers." Sasuke growled. He almost snapped when Itachi poked him in the forehead.**

 **"Impatience and selfishness were always your greatest weaknesses, little brother," Itachi said as he lowered his hand to his side. "We will have our time to fight, but it is not the time now. The Tin Man comes with his tinker toys, and its best for both of us if I'm not here when that happens."**

"Yeah, those wind-up toys totes stole our thunder." Yang frowned.

Coco scoffed and flipped her bang. "I know! I was mowing those Grimm down with ease. Damn power play BS is what it is."

"Can we not talk politics?" Weiss frowned, since she'd have to get involved in it.

"Agreed." Blake nodded, since she hated those wind-up toys on principle.

 **Itachi took a step forward, stopping once he stood beside his younger brother.**

 **"Word to the wise, if you value the safety of your friends..." Itachi's eyes met with Sasuke's and flashed a darker shade for the briefest of seconds. "You** ** _will_** **stay out of the Fourth War's way."**

 **Before any retort could be made, Itachi then exploded into a swarm of miniature Nevermores, which disoriented Sasuke with shrieks, caws and loud flaps of wings. The teenager shielded his face with his arm and peeked out through a small crack. His eye narrowed and a scowl crossed his face as he lowered his arm.**

"Okay, what allows you to do that? I thought his Semblance was controlling Grimm, not, whatever that was." Ruby scratched the top of her head.

"Maybe he was secretly hiding with that murder of Nevermore? Like an illusion!"

Ruby shook her head at Nora's logic. "No, that'd be silly."

 **Sasuke stood before a pavilion of Grimm that were slowly turning into black wisps, the fresh kills done with unique cuts only caused by a blade tipped with a hook.**

 **"...Sorry,** ** _Big Brother_** **," Sasuke said, spitting the words out with distaste as he crushed a Borbatusk's head beneath his sparking foot. "But your warnings mean jack to me."**

 **"Ha! Finally caught...up...to..." Naruto trailed off as he came to a stop next to the raven-haired teen. The blond, now clad in the remains of what was his shirt and torn pants, scratched his head. "Damn, Sasuke...If you did all this then why didn't you head over to the next square?"**

"Because he didn't!" Ruby accused.

 **"...Felt like giving you a handicap." Sasuke replied before he ran towards the next corner.**

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

 **"Wha-You freaking dick! I don't need a damn handicap!" Naruto snapped, outraged at the thought, before he ran after his teammate.**

 **They came to a stop in the middle of the courtyard when a loud** ** _whoosh_** **demanded their attention. Airships, easily capable of being their own islands, hovered overhead. Painted on the side was the white symbol of Atlas.**

 **"...Well, if Atlas chose and opportune time to invade Vale, it's now." Sasuke muttered.**

"It's not an invasion!" Weiss declared.

 **"Maybe it's temporary support against the Grimm," Naruto said optimistically as his Semblance dwindled down into nothing. He panted slightly and wiped off sweat with the back of his hand. "I mean, I love this job, don't get me wrong, but damn...is it exhausting. At least it's over for now."**

 **"...Yeah," Sasuke said distantly. "It's over...for now."**

"Well, I demand the next episode…I didn't even get to _see_ _me_." Coco frowned. "I want my Coco-cameo, dammit!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own** ** _Naruto_** **or** ** _RWBY_** **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXV: Aftermath**

Weiss huffed as the intro song played across the screen. "I can't believe we're still watching this. Is it so wrong to want to watch something far more cultured than your rabble?"

"My _sexy_ rabble thank you very much!" Yang corrected her with a smirk.

"Eight out of ten, maybe eight and a half." Coco shrugged. "Still want to see our interactions before I say anything else."

"Shh, it's on!" Nora cheered as she stuffed some popcorn in her mouth.

"...Where did you get-?" Jaune began, only to be shushed loudly by the girl.

 **"** ** _...General Ironwood will be in charge of the defense for the Vytal Festival_** **." A shadowed member of the Council of Vale decreed to the three men within the Beacon Headmaster's office. The cleanup performed by Ironwood's mechanized forces was fast and efficient, which allowed for many of the students sent out to help defend the city to be recalled to recover.**

 **General Ironwood stood straighter. "I will do my best."**

 **"** ** _We know. ...And Jiraiya? Do stop sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong._** **"**

 **"Mm, I'll think about it," Jiraiya said from where he leaned against the wall. The smirk that was on his face fell when the holographic screens disappeared. "'Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong.' Tch, typical councils. At least the Vacoan Council is willing to show their face to someone when they completely undermine their authority to another nation."**

"I really didn't get the policy behind that either." Jaune said as he rubbed his head. It made Vale look, well, weak.

 **"I wish it didn't have to be that way, but I warned you, Ozpin-"**

 **"James," Ozpin cut the General off with a tired stare. He turned to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya. Please, if the both of you would...give me a moment."**

 **"...Fair enough." Ironwood nodded and turned to leave. Jiraiya remained silent as he followed the general out.**

 **The doors shut behind them with a soft click and the lights in the room brightened slightly. Ozpin sat down into his chair and used one hand to conceal his face. Ironwood was right, he'd been warned.**

 **"...That was a really stupid move on your part, Ozpin." A familiar voice said from the small shadow in the corner of the room.**

 **"Yes, I'm well aware, thank you." Ozpin sighed and looked up from his hand to glare lightly at the man before him.**

"Wow, Professor Ozpin actually looks upset." Ruby awed, having never seen her headmaster in a mood other than mellow-slash-serious, distracted, or laid-back.

"But who is the shadowy figure?" Pyrrha asked.

"We'll have to watch and find out," Velvet said.

 **"Why are you here?"**

 **"What? Last time you welcomed me with open arms! Speaking of which," the shadowed figure folded his arms over his chest. "Why are those brats still in your school?"**

 **"...In case you haven't noticed, there're bigger issues to worry about." Ozpin dryly retorted.**

 **"Psh, this? Please, this is nothing compared to what's coming," the mysterious figure said with a wave of his hand. Ozpin glared at him once again.**

"Tell us!" Ruby whined. The suspense was killing her!

 **"If you'd tell me-!"**

 **"Come now, Ozpin, you know I can't." The figure scoffed. "It'd be a breach of The Order's decree."**

 **"To Hell with the Order!" Ozpin shot from his seat. "If you can't tell me what is coming, then the least you could do is have the courtesy to tell me why you've come to kick me while I'm down!"**

"Wow, he is super frazzled." Coco whistled. "So weird to see the calm and collected Ozpin blow his top."

The rest of Team CFVY nodded in agreement, Fox for one was blinking at what he heard.

 **"Because, Almighty Ozpin," the man said, unfazed by the outburst. A small smirk spread across his face. "If I don't do it, then who will? After all, a wall can only become stronger each time it's rebuilt."**

 **"...Get out of my office." Ozpin bit out, his hand tightly gripping his cane as he glared at the visitor.**

 **"You'll understand one day, Ozpin." The guest chuckled as he disappeared into the shadows.**

 **About halfway down to the main floor, Jiraiya hit the emergency stop switch on the elevator. The casket stopped halfway between floors and the lights dimmed slightly. His fellow elevator rider closed his eyes and let out a sigh.**

 **"Lord Jiraiya, you know as well as I do that had I not acted-" Two fingers pressed around the General's larynx, silencing him instantly as air was cut from his lungs.**

 **"Your job right now,** ** _Jimmy_** **, is to listen. So shut up, stand at attention and if you so much as** ** _blink_** **without my say-so, Atlas will be down a general and headmaster, capisce?" Jiraiya asked lowly as he towered over Ironwood.**

"He's threatening him?!" Weiss gaped at the sheer audacity the Vacoan pervert had.

"Looks like it. Go Toad Dude!" Yang cheered with a pumped fist.

 **Unable to breathe or speak out against the action, all Ironwood could do was nod his cooperation.**

"Smart move, Ironwood-y."

"Iron _wood_." Weiss corrected Coco.

"I know what I said."

 **"Good." Jiraiya removed his fingers from the General's neck, which made the man gasp and rub his throat. Ignoring the dirty look sent his way by the General, Jiraiya glared down at him. "Now listen and listen good. I don't care about you undermining Ozpin like a douchebag, because let's face it, you're from Mantle, that's how most of you are."**

"I resent that!" Weiss proclaimed.

"I can see it." "Yep." "Totally." The others nodded in agreement.

"…See if I ever do something nice for you people," Weiss said as she crossed her arms and huffed. Ruby held out her arms for a hug. "No, I'm fine!"

Ruby sulked like a kicked puppy.

 **Ironwood did nothing more than narrow his eyes further, which allowed Jiraiya to continue uninterrupted.**

 **"I don't even care about you coming in and swinging your dick around like you own the joint. What I do care about, and listen closely, Jimmy because this is important, what I** ** _do_** **care about is my godson's safety. If your show of force or any top secret Atlesian weapon 'stolen' by the White Fang or Fourth War causes damage that threatens him in any way..."**

 **Jiraiya's eyes and 'tears' turned gold and the air in the room became heavy. The General visibly strained to remain upright and had to work on keeping his breathing even. Jiraiya lifted a hand up, a finger extended, and Ironwood grimaced when it poked him in the chest.**

 **"I will, and follow me on this, personally, maliciously, and** ** _slowly_** **destroy your precious Atlas from the inside** ** _out_** **. Are we clear on that?** ** _General_** **?"**

 **"C-Crystal...** ** _Sir_** **." Ironwood grit out, loathing the stutter that left his mouth. The weight and tension in the air vanished so fast it was like a switch was flipped.**

"Okay, pervert just went up a few dozen notches in my book after that move." Coco whistled in awe.

"I think I spy some brown behind Ironwood's pants." Nora pointed out.

Weiss scowled at her. "That's not funny."

"It's his fault for wearing white pants!"

"She's got a point," Coco said with a nod. The fashionista shook her head. "What is with Atlas and white? Not trendy at all."

"How. Dare. You." Weiss glowered at the older girl's words. The Schnee heiress was _very_ trendy!

 **Jiraiya's eyes and 'tears' returned to their normal colors and a smile spread across his face.**

 **"I'm glad to hear that we understand one another!" Jiraiya said boisterously. He clapped Ironwood on the shoulder and turned the elevator back on. The elder man whipped his notepad out and began to scribble notes in it, whistling a jaunty tune while he did.**

 **Ironwood fixed his suit and stepped out once the elevator came to a stop, his pace a bit faster than normal. If one were to look closely, they'd see a bead of sweat on the side of his head. The good General knew that Jiraiya meant every word he'd said, this is the man who was reported to have threatened to kill one of his old teammates in a public restaurant if they threatened to betray Vacuo back during the skirmish with Vale. He demonstrated his severity by killing what was supposedly a well-placed mole by Vale's then Head Councilman, who'd long since been replaced. The poor waiter was barely out of his teens and according to the autopsy, the ...remains were very hard to remove from the wood.**

"Wow, so glad we don't have that much infighting anymore." Jaune gulped.

"Yes, it would be a shame to have to crush-er, fight you all," Weiss said nonchalantly.

"…Okay, that was ominous." Jaune mumbled.

 **So, it was with a bunch of concealed, but very much shaken nerves that General James Ironwood returned to his school/military's main airship to update some personal files. Once he was back within his quarters and seated at his private computer, he edited a dossier that he'd created as soon as he got to Beacon.**

 **Team Name: N. H. K. S. (KNOX)**

 **Affiliation: Unknown (Vacuo/Vale?)**

 **Members:**

 **Naruto Uzumaki – Leader/Frontline**

 **Haku Yuki – Support/Espionage**

 **Kurama Ōtsutsuki – Support/Intelligence**

 **Uchiha Sasuke – Support/Mid-Long Ranged**

"So he's got dirt on them huh?" Yang hummed and rubbed her chin. "Wow, Naruto's team really does have a load of supporters. They mainly help each other."

"And with their expertise combined, both Kurama and Haku are a formidable force outside of battle." Blake added.

"Not to mention Kurama's Semblance and his giant ball of death," Yang said. "He'd be crazy to fight in a match."

"I think it'd be fun." Nora mumbled. She grinned. "Not to mention I could totally own Duckbutt. My electricity is better than his."

 **Notes:**

 **Uzumaki:**

 **Son of "Thunder God" Minato Namikaze and "Bloody Death" Kushina Uzumaki.**

 **Godson to "Toad Sage" Jiraiya.**

 **Semblance: Capable of enhancing physical abilities to unknown levels.** **  
** **Primary Weapon: Gauntlets, Unknown Origin.**

 **Threat Level: Alpha.**

"Aw yeah, he's an Alpha alright!" Yang pumped her fist and grinned.

 **Yuki:**

 **Parentage Unknown.**

 **Raised and trained by "The Demon Butcher" Momochi Zabuza, known assassin.**

 **Semblance: (Presumably) inter-dimensional transportation.**

"Think he goes through the 11th dimension?" Coco asked with a smirk.

 **Primary Weapon: Scrapped N2DRX "Needler" Prototype of Mistral. (Presumed) stolen by Momochi.**

 **Threat level: Alpha.**

Ruby rubbed her chin, her silver eyes narrowed, "I think I'm seeing a trend."

 **Ōtsutsuki:**

 **Ninth Son of "Monk Staff" Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki.** **Faunus** **.**

"Because of course _that's_ underlined." Blake rolled her eyes.

 **Semblance: Unknown.**

 **Weapon: Multi-form Staff.**

 **Threat Level: Alpha.**

 **Uchiha:**

 **Son of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto.**

 **Brother (Younger) of Uchiha Itachi, wanted terrorist/murderer in all four Kingdoms.**

 **Semblance: Creation/Manipulation of Electricity/Lightning. Extent unknown.**

"I'm still better!"

Ren patted Nora's head. "Of course you are."

"Don't patronize me, Ren." Nora muttered lowly.

 **Weapon: Sword/Compact Bow**

 **Threat Level: Alpha.**

 **Orders: Avoid confrontation/conflict at all costs. Retreat-on-conflict: INDISPUTABLE.**

"And when it's in bold, you know he means it," Velvet said. She gave Coco a pointed look.

"I ignored your note one time. I said I was sorry."

"I put that sign on it for a reason, but you still ate my cake!"

 **Ironwood leaned back and looked over his work carefully. Some of this information would be provided to the team that faced off against NHKS. Primarily their backgrounds, as little as there were: Ōtsutsuki's status as a Faunus would be enough for some students, and it was all they had right now; the Uchiha's family tree was well known across remnant, with the boy's older brother becoming a new boogeyman for a younger generation; and Yuki's history with The Demon Butcher of Vacuo would be more than enough to make his students and soldiers wary.**

 **But it was the team leader's lineage he'd have to redact and conceal, file away within the privacy of his personal notes. Ironwood bit on the tip of his thumb. He couldn't risk anyone learning anything about arguably the most dangerous member of the team, lest he give Jiraiya a** ** _reason_** **to start a new internal war.**

"Man, the in-laws must have a lot of enemies if he has to go that far." Yang whistled.

"With names like Thunder God and Bloody Death? I'd think so." Weiss conceded in agreement. She then blinked and frowned at her teammate. "They're. Not. Real."

"I can't hear you! I'm too engrossed in the show."

 **With a heavy sigh, James Ironwood entered the proper codes to classify and redact the information highlighted.**

 ** _The needs of the many_** **...He thought bitterly.**

 **Oh well, it wasn't like any of his students held a grudge against Minato or Kushina.**

 **...Perhaps he should perform a quick background check, just to be sure.**

Weiss nodded. "Smart move."

"It's his only move after getting grabbed by the testies."

Weiss frowned at Coco's vulgar statement.

 **"So...You going to say anything in your defense?" Jiraiya asked. After he scared the Atlesian general shitless, Jiraiya made a detour over to the detention center where Roman Torchwick was being held. The criminal was seated on the other side of a bolted down table, his arms and legs bound with aura-cancelling cuffs. He looked a bit roughed up, but otherwise fine.**

"Boo! Give him a black eye! No cookies for life!" Ruby jeered. Yang reached over to pat her sister's head and laughed.

She was just _so_ cute sometimes.

 **"Nah. What's the point? I'm guilty of everything," Roman said, a smirk on his face. "Kidnapping, conspiracy, theft, and, this one's my favorite, war crimes. What's the point in trying to get out of it?"**

 **"Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, Torchwick." Jiraiya pointed out. The criminal barked out a laugh.**

 **"Who are you, my lawyer? C'mon, buddy, this isn't my first time in the interrogation room. Bring in the bad cop already," Roman said. An open packet of cigarettes was slid over to him and he arched a brow. "Oh, bribery funds. How kind."**

 **"You want to light one up now or would you rather save them for when you drop the soap?" Jiraiya asked.**

"Huh, I wonder what the exchange rate of cigarettes are in prison?" Nora scratched the back of her head in thought.

"Nora...We're _not_ getting arrested just so you can find out." Ren drawled, ignoring the horrified looks that crossed Pyrrha and Jaune's faces.

"Ah, c'mon, at worst we'll just have to toss Jaune their way." Nora waved him off.

"Why me!?" Jaune demanded.

"Well, Ren's girly, but he's basically a ninja. Pyrrha can kick _anyone_ 's ass. And I bench like three of me. You'll make a good distraction before we knock them out," Nora said cheerfully.

"NO!"

"Tch, chicken."

 **Torchwick rolled his eyes and, with fumbling fingers, pulled a stick out and put it in his mouth. Jiraiya twisted his hand, revealing a pack of matches, and snapped one off. The match was quickly ignited and used to light the cigarette that hung from the criminal's lips. Torchwick took a long drag and bent his head down so he could use one hand to remove the smoke from his mouth.**

 **"Cheap, but it's better than nicotine withdrawal." He muttered. The smoke was placed back into his mouth and another drag was taken before he looked at the stony faced old man seated across from him. "So what do you want to know?"**

 **"Well, the secret to eternal youth would be nice."**

Yang nodded and brushed her hair. "I hear ya, toady. I dread the day these locks turn grey."

"If you even get that far." Yatsuhashi shrugged at the horrified looks they got. "We're Huntsmen and Huntresses. It's a reality you have to face otherwise you'll really get hurt or...you know."

"...Right...Well, I think I'll be fine." Yang waved off the older student's words of advice. She was pretty much invincible and would dish out twice as much as she would get.

 **"Don't we all want that?" Roman chuckled. "C'mon, don't jerk me around here, what do you want? A confession? A deal? My life?"**

 **"In a hurry?" Jiraiya asked.**

 **"Let's just say as soon as this little convo is over, I'm getting a ride over to Atlas to receive the 'finest' of my peers to try me," Roman said with a snort. "I've got a lifetime of cold nights and stone walls to mentally prepare for, so if you'd be so kind."**

"He is very calm. Oddly calm." Blake frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"You'd think he'd roll over his bosses for a better deal," Coco said thoughtfully.

"Bosses?" Ruby blinked. "B-But he was the one behind the scheme! We stopped him!"

"Sweetie," Coco smiled at the younger girl. "There's no way _he's_ top of the food chain. No matter _what_ Ironwood-y says."

 **"Fair enough." Jiraiya leaned forward and steepled his fingers. "I know for a fact that you've been in contact with the real brains behind the Breach."**

"See?" Coco smirked while the others frowned at the development.

 **"Oh, really? You know this for a** ** _fact_** **?" Roman asked with his smirk plastered on his face. "According to the General,** ** _I'm_** **the one behind it all. He's got me, crime** ** _has_** **to stop!"**

 **"Crime will stop...In Vale. For a while." Jiraiya agreed.**

"It really did die down for like a day or two, before something else happened." Coco scoffed.

"You're still mad someone tried to take your purse." Yatsuhashi said while Fox rubbed his eyes.

"Of course I am!" Coco snapped before she smirked. "Lil bastard couldn't life it though, ha!"

Velvet looked a tad green, "Did you still have to, um, insert your heel... _'there'_?"

"It was well within my right." Coco told her teammate sternly.

 **He smirked. "But just because it's called 'crime' doesn't mean it's all bad. Some of the worst things done on Remnant were done with the best intentions in mind."**

 **"...Oh, this is the offer, huh? Alright, I'll humor you." Roman chuckled. He took a drag of his cigarette. "Hypothetically, let's say there** ** _was_** **another, smarter, person scheming in the background and that I was just a front-man. If, hypothetically, I was to reveal who that person was, I'd still have to concern myself with the backlash from them. They've got both the White Fang and the Fourth War backing them. So, weighing my options, I could either risk going up against both groups for the chance to go on some Vacoan approved sprees of the criminal sort** ** _or_** **I could spend the rest of my life in a secure Atlesian prison, where I would be fed three meals a day, get my bedding laundered, and have a chance at parole a decade or so later."**

"That's a pretty long hypothetical." Ruby mumbled.

"I don't think he's been to Atlas, We don't just hand out parole." Weiss mused with a smile.

 **Roman held his hands out like a scale and bounced them from side to side before he laughed.**

 **"Take your offer and shove it, Grandpa! What do you take me for, an idiot?"**

"Yes." Team RWBY drawled together.

 **"Yep." Jiraiya chirped as he stood up and went to the door. He stopped, his hand hovering over the door control. "Oh, and for the record, I just wanted to confirm my source's identity of this mastermind. Shame you couldn't do that and chose to go to prison. Enjoy your trip, Mr. Torchwick."**

 **"Yeah, I pl...I pla..."**

 **Roman slumped forward suddenly. He was foaming at the mouth and his eyes rolled into his head while his body began to convulse. Jiraiya paid this no mind and stepped out of the interrogation room, giving a brief nod to the 'officers' that stood outside the door.**

 **"I'd get him to a medic, if I were you. That's not normal."**

"He totally just poisoned that guy!" Jaune cried out.

"Nice." Blake smirked.

"…Blake, that vicious streak of yours is showing again." Weiss pointed out.

"Let it."

 **"Roman Torchwick is missing?!"**

 **"Thank you, Ruby, for screaming out what I just said," Kurama said dryly to the youngest member of their little group from where he sat in his recliner, reading the morning news on his Scroll.**

"You do scream a lot. In the morning especially." Weiss noted flatly.

Ruby blushed. "Um, well, I...I'm a morning person?"

 **With the Breach aftermath being taken care of by the teachers and their respective guardians, teams RWBY, JNPR and NHKS had gathered together in the recreation room of their dorm building to relax after a long, long few days. Yang and Naruto occupied the loveseat on the right, comfortably seated together – or, rather, Yang lying atop Naruto–**

Weiss huffed. "So shameless."

"So sexy." Yang corrected her with a grin. She frowned. "Damn, that actually looks comfy."

"Lay on me, and I will cut you." Blake warned.

"Ooh, so catty." Yang grinned at her pun.

"Yang..."

"Fine, fine, chill out."

 **while they watched Sasuke, Jaune, Ruby and Nora (all seated on the floor) play one of the many fighting games Ruby had brought with her. Reading novels were Weiss and Blake, who sat on the couch and the former's legs were used by Ruby as a pillow.**

"You have very comfy legs." Ruby nodded in agreement.

"R-Ruby!" Weiss flushed bright pink.

"What? It's true!"

 **Pyrrha took the other seat beside Blake, reading an X-Ray and Vav comic she snagged from Jaune, while Haku and Ren sat on the other couch, watching the gamers and awaiting their turn.**

 **Kurama wiggled a finger in his ear. "Damn, why does every girl I have to know have a set of lungs?"**

 **"Velvet doesn't." Haku pointed out.**

 **"That we know of. Ten lien says his Velvet Cake is a screamer," Sasuke said. He ducked under a tossed cushion, a smirk on his face.**

"So true." Coco snickered. Fox gave his team leader a light swat upside the head and she glowered at him. "Oh, you are asking for it, Alistair."

"Coco! It's bad enough you say that in front of Fox and Yatsuhashi!" Velvet whined. The gentle giant of her team reached over and patted the bunny Faunus' head. It didn't stop the tears that rolled down Velvet's eyes comically.

 **"I'll take that bet." Naruto offered. "Twenty says she's silent and squirty."**

"The second part is yet to be proven." Fox gave a quick and hard smack to Coco's arm. "Ow! Okay, seriously, you are asking for a spanking, Fox."

Fox arched a brow. Coco grinned.

"You'll have to find out later."

Yang leaned over to Velvet. "So uh...is that... _normal_ between them?"

Velvet didn't answer. She was too busy silently begging to be killed by anyone in the room who had a shred of kindness in their soul.

Her teammates were so embarrassing!

 **The blond got a whack upside the head from Yang, who was still a tad miffed by the events that occurred toward the end of his team's mission with the cashier – as well as his willingness to be swallowed hole not once, but** ** _twice_** **by monster worms.**

"Yeah, I'd be pissed." Yang agreed with her other.

Weiss laughed. "When aren't you?"

"When she's having her period," Ruby said. Yang gaped at the shot Ruby delivered while Weiss and Blake smirked.

 **She made sure Naruto had scrubbed his teeth and showered before giving him any kisses. Monster gunk residue was not something she wanted to risk tasting. Ever.**

 **"Thank you," Kurama said with a nod to Yang, who nodded back before she gave Naruto a look.**

 **"The only girl you should be wondering those sorts of things about is me, Whisker Boy." Yang muttered while she readjusted herself from where she lay to get a better view of the game.**

 **"Believe me, I do." Naruto whispered heatedly into his girlfriend's ear. She grinned and they shared a quick peck, which made most of the group roll their eyes.**

 **"Gross!" Ruby stuck her tongue out in disgust and then squawked in outrage when she was killed by Nora's character's hammer. "Aw, darn!"**

 **"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" The pancake addict cackled gleefully. "And then there was three..."**

 **"Not this time, Nora!" Jaune declared valiantly. His thumbs blurred on the controller and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. He grinned wildly when his actions resulted in a special move being displayed, a move that took Nora's character out in a violent and gory mess. "Ah-ha! Victory!"**

"Jaune, why?!" Nora cried out, betrayed.

"Because, life is a game, and I like to win." Jaune said with a serious face. "And because you want to use me as jail bait!"

"As a _distraction_!"

"It still counts!"

 **"Nooo! Pancake Queen!" Nora wailed. She glared at Jaune. "You murdered her! Now how shall she reclaim her castle? All of her people will starve at the hands of the Waffle King!"**

 **"Damn right." Sasuke smirked. He took Jaune out with a basic move that wiped the smile off his face. "Nobody touches the waffles."**

"He must die." Nora vowed lowly and raised her fist. "All who deny the glory of pancakes must _suffer_."

 **"Oh, come on! That's a crock of-!"**

 **"Oi, PJ, keep it PG, will ya?" Kurama cut off the teen with a smirk on his face. Jaune glared at him.**

 **"Like you're one to talk..." Jaune grumbled.**

"Seriously! Vulgarity spills from their mouths!" Jaune agreed with his other.

 **"Shut up, PJ – Oh god dammit!" Kurama swore.**

 **"What now?" "Hypocrite!" Haku asked and Jaune accused.**

 **"My GriffBall team got destroyed!"**

"Oh, that's harsh." Yatsuhashi sighed.

"What?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"You kids these days, you don't respect the classics." The giant teenager frowned.

 **"Your what?" Haku asked again, his brow raised in confusion. Pyrrha looked up from her comic, also a bit confused.**

 **"GriffBall, you know, the sport? Guys run a ball made of leather across a field wearing bright ass colors...Made by a Huntsmen who flunked out of Shade Academy," Kurama explained dryly. He clucked his tongue and his eyebrows knit together in annoyance as his attention returned to his Scroll. "My team got utterly wrecked in their last game."**

 **"...And you care because...?"**

 **"I had a bet with Yatsuhashi on that game." Kurama grumbled.**

"You don't bet against the big guy," Coco pointed at her teammate with her thumb. "Wicked luck, that one."

 **He blinked in surprise when his Scroll beeped. "Hm? What's the Toad want with me?"**

 **Naruto, Sasuke and Haku's Scrolls beeped soon after. The all-male team opened their messages and collectively released heavy sighs. Or, in the team leader's case, a deep groan.**

 **"Ugh, c'mon, man! This's so freakin' unfair," Naruto said with a childish whine. He was still tired from the Breach and the Graboid Hunt. Not to mention his lack of sleep caused by the very intrusive and** ** _unwelcome_** **drunk that was his godfather. Bastard continued to moan out different names of different girls, giggle for about a minute straight and then snore so loudly, Naruto was sure that the walls began to cave in on his inhales and expand out on the exhales.**

"Shouldn't he have his own room, or even a guest one?" Ruby asked.

"I think he just wanted to mooch off his godson." Blake muttered, recalling Naruto's complaints to her other a few episodes back.

Yang frowned. Great, her other was going to have to deal with this now, too.

 **Compared to his usual energetic self, Naruto was** ** _exhausted_** **. He was having a fantastic time just lying on the loveseat with his arms lazily wrapped around Yang, who made for an excellent body pillow.**

"Well, I _am_ heated." Yang grinned.

 **"Well, you could ignore it..." Jaune trailed off when a shiver went down his spine. He looked around, alarmed by the sudden sensation. "What was that!?"**

 **"Probably an aura of death," Sasuke said dryly. He sighed and dropped his controller before he rose up from his seat on the ground. "Might as well go see what he wants. If it's a spar, maybe we can talk him out of it."**

"Bribe him with porn!"

"Nora, he writes porn." Ren reminded her.

"Smut." Blake corrected him.

"Aha! So it _is_ smut!" Weiss beamed at Blake, who paused and scowled.

"Dammit…"

 **"Yeah, and then Borbatusk will learn to fly," Naruto said with an amused snort. He sluggishly tore himself away from the comfortable cushion and the loveseat he laid on, a look of begrudging acceptance crossing his face in the form of a mild frown.**

 **Yang didn't seemed too pleased by his forced vacancy either, if the small frown on her face was anything to go by. She rolled onto her side and drummed her fingers on the cushion as she watched the four teens leave.**

 **"What's wrong, Yang? Cold without your heated cushion to lay on?" Weiss asked with a small smirk.**

 **"At least I have a heated cushion to lay on."**

 **"Yang: 1, Weiss: 0." Blake muttered and turned the page in her book.**

"...Dammit." Weiss cursed.

"That's right, you don't mess with the best!" Yang crowed.

 **"Who asked you?" Weiss scowled at the catty girl while Yang smirked and held up a victory sign.**

 **"Ah, good. You showed up! Now I don't have to hunt you all down." Jiraiya grinned widely at the four boys that approached him. He stood up from his seated position, putting his back to the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest, and clapped his hands together. "So, good news and bad news."**

 **"Already I dread this." Naruto mumbled.**

 **"Shut it, brat." Jiraiya mildly glared at his godson before he grinned again. "The good news is the Council of Vale has decided** ** _not_** **to sue you for the damages caused by the Beast Bomb."**

"Can they do that?" Ruby worried.

"Please, I filled loads of buildings with dust rounds. I didn't get a fine," Coco said smugly.

"They blew up a square." Blake pointed out.

"I think if they did charge the boys, it would be overreacting." Coco waved her off.

 **"...They were going to sue us?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide and his features, along with his teammates', pale. "I...I didn't know they could do that."**

 **"This isn't Vacuo, Naruto," Jiraiya said informatively. "Vale has its appearance and pride, and unlike Vacuo, people come here to sight-see more than they do for work. Plus, any damages caused by the Huntsman or Huntress hired should either be covered by the hirer or they risk losing their cut of pay to cover for it. Remember that, you don't want to learn it the hard way like I did."**

"No wonder he writes smut, he has to cover his tabs." Weiss smirked..

"I think an invasion is a good excuse to cut loose." Coco just huffed at that stupid little clause. She had a habit of leaving behind a lot of collateral damage.

 **"We'll keep that in mind," Kurama said lowly, still coming to terms with nearly being sued for** ** _saving lives_** **.**

 **"I hope so," Jiraiya said. He waited a moment to let the boys get over the small shock before continuing. "The bad news is they want to ensure it won't happen again. So, since Team KAAG is out patrolling the walls and repairing damages, you boys get to spend some quality time with me in training!"**

 **"...B-But you only train him..." Sasuke muttered weakly, pointing a finger at his team leader, who looked ready to bolt at a moment's notice.**

"I think he needs his brown pants."

Ren looked to his partner. "Nora, be nice."

"I'll never bow to his evil waffle ways!"

"...I'll take that as a 'fine'."

 **"Shut up, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped before he looked back at his godfather. "If this is supposed to be bad news, why do you look so happy!?"**

 **"I'm glad you asked!" Jiraiya laughed. He pulled out three small silver bells and three of the four boys paled even further. "We're going back to a classic!"**

 **"...Oh dear Oum in heaven surrounded by holy noodles..."**

 **"You have ...Eh, I'll be generous," Jiraiya said, ignoring his godson, and held up four fingers. "Four hours to get one bell from me. If you do get all three, we get to stop training, but if you don't, we'll just have to start from the beginning.**

"But there are three bells, how does that work?" Ruby wondered, racking her brain for possibilities.

"Simple, the one who doesn't get one is punished somehow." Weiss answered with a shrug.

"…I don't like this training." Ruby mumbled.

"It's smart." Blake pointed out.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "It really puts them against each other. If they can overlook their selfish gains to work together, then the test shouldn't be so difficult."

 **Rules are simple: Come at me with the intent to kill...and I'll go easy on you."**

 **"...Why do I feel like we just signed our own death warrants by showing up?" Haku asked.**

 **"Because we did." Naruto whimpered. He gave up cuddling/napping time for this!? He really was an idiot.**

"Yes you are." Yang nodded her head sternly.

"So you admit that?" Weiss asked.

"Only in this case." Yang added.

 **"Training begins now!"**

 **"What?" Haku asked. A gust of wind brushed by him and Haku turned to see his teammates had vanished, a few leaves falling from where they just stood. He started to form a mirror behind him but before he could finish, he doubled over a fist that buried itself in his stomach. Pain, unlike any other, racked through Haku's body and the corners of his vision went dark.**

 **"You weren't ready."**

 **The androgynous boy fell to the ground unconscious and Jiraiya looked down at him.**

"Cheap shot!" Weiss jeered.

 **"That's the student of the Demon Butcher? ...I feel very disappointed," he said, frowning.**

"Like I said, that was a cheap shot." Weiss huffed.

"Ninja." Blake countered with a smirk.

"No, even that has its limits here." Weiss snapped.

" _Ninja_."

"That's not the answer to everything!"

"…Nin-Ja."

"Gah!" Weiss grabbed her head.

Blake gained a small smirk.

Totally worth it.

 **He shrugged and gently moved the boy onto his back of to the side. Once that was done, Jiraiya looked around and grinned. "Well, one down. Three to go."**

 **Four hours later and Jiraiya, who hadn't moved from his spot much, looked down at the boys with a smirk on his face.**

 **"I have good news, boys, you're not total shit!" Jiraiya evaluated the four. He was given four pained groans in response. The sage shook his head. "Oh, don't be sore losers!"**

"I don't think that's the only thing that's sour." Coco whistled. "Man, I thought this Naruto was a stamina beast or something."

"He _is_." Yang insisted. She crossed her arms. "He was just tired."

"Uh-huh." Coco drawled in disbelief.

"Guess this is why the real huntress and hunters are so much better than us." Ruby confessed with an awed look since team NHKS was pretty strong.

 **"P-Piss off, Toad..." Kurama groaned. He tried to use Ri Kudo to get back to his feet, but his knees gave out and he fell flat to his face. "...Ow..."**

 **Jiraiya glanced over at the only Faunus of the team. He managed to snag a bell once, but lost it when forced to defend himself from Jiraiya's onslaught of retaliation. The elderly Huntsman easily put him in what was the B-Rank of Kon's six-classification-system, SCS. B was easily the third highest rank one could be placed at, and, considering that Jiraiya himself was S-rank, it said a lot about Kurama's skill.**

"They have rankings?! Ruby gasped. "I want to know my ranking!"

"Six classification, if it descends from A to B, then C, D, and E must be the last three." Blake mused. "With S being a superiorly high ranking."

"Seems legit." Coco nodded.

 **"...Mom...I don't wanna to go to school today..." Sasuke groaned, his vision spinning. Jiraiya chuckled and ranked Sasuke at B as well. He was talented, of that there was no doubt, but his semblance was rather easy to anticipate and react to if he missed his first few initial strikes. Or if you knew the boy as long as you did. And were fast enough.**

 **"I think...I think I forgot how to do math..." Haku, who had awoken at the two-hour mark and joined back in the fight, mumbled. Now,** ** _he_** **Jiraiya ranked at A. Yes, Jiraiya did catch him off guard, but even Jiraiya could be caught off guard sometimes.**

"At least he got to get back in the game," Coco said. "Just wish we could have seen it."

"Still, A-class, huh…cool." Ruby beamed.

"I wonder how I would fair." Pyrrha hummed.

"A class." Her teammates told her bluntly.

"T-thank you for having such confidence in me." Pyrrha smiled at them.

 **Usually while in the sack or while drunk, but those were rare events in and of themselves. His semblance was** ** _easily_** **the most versatile of the three and the least predictable, his weapon was the same. Haku was** ** _the_** **biggest problem that his team's enemies would have to worry about, and Jiraiya's first strike was definitely in his favor.**

 **"Hey...I won...you owe me ramen for life..."**

 **Jiraiya laughed once more when he heard his godson's dazed groan. After Haku was taken out, he targeted the sleep deprived huntsman-in-training and showed him absolutely no mercy. It was to see how far Naruto could push himself when at his limits, and unsurprisingly, Naruto would go pretty damn far. He managed to push his semblance to the eighth degree before he succumbed to his exhaustion and passed out mid-punch. Jiraiya just left him where he fell, feeling only the slightest amount of guilt for purposefully keeping him awake the night before, and ranked him somewhere between B and A rank, leaning more towards the latter because of his sheer tenacity in battle.**

"So he did it on purpose? That's evil." Jaune grimaced..

"Sleep is a convenience." Coco pointed out. "You won't always get the chance to sleep when on Hunting missions."

"Like that time in Forever Fall..." Velvet mumbled.

Team CFVY collectively shivered.

 **"I have to say, I'm very surprised by your progress and I'm glad that none of you three let your skills deteriorate too bad while you've been living it up in this fancy-shmancy school," Jiraiya said. He tossed the three bells in his hand and grinned as he caught them on their descent. "That said, we train again tomorrow, same time, same place. So rest up, kiddies!"**

 **A chorus of pitiful groans was their response to him.**

 **Jiraiya smiled and sighed.** ** _Ah, music to my ears._**

"Great, a sadist." Ren quipped dryly.

 **"Wow, you look like shit."**

 **Kurama glared dully at the smirking Faunus that sat down across from him. Once he regained feeling in his legs and sought some sort of medical help, Kurama received another message. This one requested he meet with the sender in a restaurant in Vale, and Kurama mustered up the nerve to do just that. However, after sitting down and waiting for twenty minutes, he started to get testy.**

 **"Hello to you too,** ** _Gyuki_** **."**

 **"Have you ordered yet?" Gyuki asked curiously as he opened a menu.**

 **"...No." Kurama spat out. "I was waiting for you. Being** ** _courteous_** **."**

"How kind of him." Weiss muttered and rolled her eyes.

"I still want to hold out for the Weiss x Kurama pairing." Yang mused.

Weiss looked like she wanted to stab Yang right in her fat boobs.

 **"Well excuse me. In case you hadn't realized it, a shit ton of Grimm just broke into Vale, the cause behind it is missing, oh, and to top it all off, my idiot little brother used the** ** _one_** **thing Dad forbade him to use within city walls," Gyuki said while he set his menu down. He lowered his sunglasses a tad on the bridge of his nose and pure white eyes glared at the younger Faunus. "Care to explain that last bit?"**

 **"I don't have to explain anything to you," Kurama spat. He hesitated for a moment before he pushed his sunglasses up firmly over his eyes. "There was a fucking swarm around us, I thinned the herd."**

"He really did, it was nice…and a little sexy."

Ren nearly snapped his neck to look at Nora in bewilderment.

"Well, Velvet cakes, seems you got some competition." Coco patted her friend on the shoulder while Velvet's ears flopped slightly.

 **"And in the process destroyed an entire block!"**

 **"'Sacrifices have to be made to do what's right,' Gyuki." Kurama sneered. "Weren't those your words to Dad before you vanished?"**

 **"Things changed, Kurama."**

 **"Whatever. What do you want?"**

 **"You're the one that wanted to talk after we met...what was it, a month ago now?" Gyuki asked.**

 **"That's not my fault," Kurama said with a scowl.**

 **"I'm sure it wasn't. It's never your fault, Kurama." Gyuki smirked and fixed his sunglasses back over his unique eyes. "You're the pwecious widdle kitten after all."**

"No," Yang pointed to Blake, "She's the pwecious widdle kitten."

"I am not a kitten."

"You guzzle milk like one."

Blake flushed. "Vitamin D is good for your body!"

"Yeah!" Ruby pumped her fist.

 **"Fuck you, Ink Boy."**

 **"Don't you know you're not supposed to be swearing? Should I ring Matatabi up?"**

 **Kurama growled and his tail flicked irritably. Gyuki laughed and sat back in his seat.**

 **"Ah, c'mon, Kurama, lighten up. Listen, I didn't want you to come here to fight," he said. He smiled genuinely. "I want to know how things have been. After...After Dad died...I've been trying to find everyone."**

 **"Well, good luck with that. Two of them went and got themselves killed for the 'cause'," Kurama said bitterly, a scowl on his face.**

Blake's shoulders sagged and her eyes drifted down, she had seen some good friends go that way, too.

 **"I know." Gyuki quietly mumbled.**

 **There was quiet for a moment.**

 **"...Kurama, I know it was hard-"**

 **"You don't know** ** _anything_** **." Kurama snarled. He grabbed Ri Kudo and used it to help himself back to his feet, out of the stall. "This was a mistake. Go back to work, Gyuki. It's obviously all you care about."**

"That's kinda harsh." Yang frowned.

"We all don't have a flawless relationship with our siblings like you and Ruby," Weiss said.

"It's isn't flawless." The blonde muttered.

 **"Kurama!" Gyuki called after him as the Faunus turned and left. The bull-horned Faunus dropped his head into his hand and groaned. "Great, Gyuki. Just great. You fucked it up again. Shouldn't have let him wait...Dammit, I should've known better."**

 **"...Be safe..." A woman with long dark hair mumbled as she watched Yang Xiao Long walk back towards Beacon, the teenage girl's mind reeling from their conversation.**

"Yang, why does she look like you?" Ruby asked when her eyes landed on the black haired Yang lookalike.

"Uh…I don't know?" Yang asked more than said, as if trying to seem as surprised as the rest of her team.

"Liar," Blake said, giving her partner a knowing look.

"Shut up, you." Yang frowned at her partner and then noticed the questioning looks she was getting. "Look, it's none of your businesses, alright? It's a personal thing."

"...Fair enough." Yatsuhashi nodded. "We shall let it lie."

The other two members of Team RWBY didn't look like they were going to do that.

 **Her eyes closed and a giant red portal opened behind her. Then, on a whim, the portal closed. Her eyes opened and stared at Yang's disappearing back.**

 **"You cannot hide from the one who taught you...Itachi."**

"…Oh snap." Yang muttered.

 **"I was merely waiting for her to leave. We cannot be seen together, you know this." The member of the Fourth War stepped from the shadows into the moonlight. He narrowed his eyes. "You had no right to tell her those things, Raven."**

 **"Perhaps not, but it was for the best she knew that among the rest." The woman, Raven, mused.**

Weiss looked at the blonde. "If you know things, you should tell us."

"Personal. Business." Yang reiterated firmly.

 **She gripped the handle of her blade tightly and turned to face the young man. "Why have you come here?"**

 **"You** ** _know_** **why." Itachi allowed his butterfly sword to slowly descend from his sleeve. "Now, will you follow me...or will I have to take drastic measures?"**

 **"...Have you truly no heart, Itachi?" Raven sighed and released her sword's hilt. He would act against Beacon, and Raven couldn't risk it, risk** ** _them_** **. The children. Her one fault, a fault that had been exploited many times before and would forever be exploited against her by all who knew of it, was her unwillingness to risk the lives of the young.**

 **Itachi kept his weapon out and narrowed his eyes as they darkened in color. Raven's eyes became exact copies of his for a brief moment before they fell shut and she slumped forward. Itachi caught her before she fell and he pulled her over his shoulder. He slid his sword back into his sleeve and he turned his back on Beacon. Under his breath, he uttered an answer to the woman's question as he disappeared into the shadows.**

 **"My heart was broken a long, long time ago."**

"That's so sad…" Pyrrha frowned.

"He's a psychopath." Jaune told her.

"It's still sad, Jaune."

"Yeah, but...He basically just kidnapped her," Jaune said. He looked over at the blonde member of Team RWBY. "You okay, Yang?"

"Fine." Yang grit out while she clenched her fists. "Just start the next episode."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXVI: Eventful Evening**

* * *

"I like where this is going," Yang said with a grin as the episode title appeared on the screen.

"I hate this show. With all of my hate." Weiss grunted.

" **This is so not fair." Weiss mumbled as she watched Yang prepare herself for a night on the town.**

 **After vanishing the night before for an uncertain period of time, Yang had spent most of the day moping and lazing about, halfheartedly reading articles on her scroll, watching videos on her scroll, and even lazily petting Zwei – who, let's face it, didn't mind that, but Weiss felt it could've been a bit more affectionate to the cute mascot of the team.**

"We can't pamper him too much." Ruby said with Yang nodding alongside her. "He'd get spoiled."

"Nonsense! He deserves to be pampered!" Weiss argued sternly.

Blake scoffed. "No, he doesn't."

"Speak not your blasphemy!"

 **It was only after her dunce of a boyfriend dropped by and offered to take her out on the town that Yang started to perk up. Now, normally Weiss would be happy for Yang, but, one of the conditions after the event that was called The Breach was that all students would remain at Beacon. Somehow, by some act of God or Oum or whatever Naruto had in his corner, the whiskered boy had gotten an out. An out that Naruto refused to divulge when asked.**

 **So, not only was Yang going out to live it up that night with her significant other, but she was also doing so while supposedly breaking the rules.**

 **Basically, it was a huge, thrilling adventure for the buxom blonde.**

"I do like a thrill ride." Yang beamed while the other members of her team frowned.

 _Damn her luck._ Weiss and Blake thought sourly.

 _Aww, man. I want to have a big thrill adventure!_ Ruby thought jealously with a whine.

 **And her teammates were going to be stuck in Beacon for all of it.**

 **Needless to say, Weiss was a tad jealous.**

"More like super jealous~!" Yang sang out.

"Yang, don't make me freeze your mouth shut." Weiss warned the blonde.

"I'd like to see you try." Yang challenged.

"No fighting!" Coco chimed.

" **Well, if you asked your badass hunk of a boyfriend, oh right..." Yang grinned at the scowling heiress. "You don't have one."**

"Spiteful wench, aren't you?" Weiss pursed her lips.

"Yep~!"

" **And chalk up another point for Yang," Blake said dryly as she turned the page in her now signed edition of** _ **Ninjas of Love**_ **. The Faunus didn't feel as embarrassed to have it in her possession anymore, but she was careful around Kurenai. She heard the woman had burned Sasuke's copy (which was then thankfully replaced by Jiraiya), and didn't want to risk it. Despite what Kurenai and many others thought, the graphic scenes only added to the romantic plot hidden between the lines.**

"It really does." Coco sighed out happily.

Blake looked at the older woman as a feeling of kinship like no other arising within her soul.

"Oh, great. Now there are two of them." Weiss said dryly. She ignored

Velvet flushed and kept her mouth shut since she was the one who got Coco into the series.

 **Lecher of the highest order he may be, but Blake was certain that Jiraiya was also a closet romantic.**

 **Weiss sent the Faunus a dour look before she glared back at Yang. "That was so uncalled for."**

" **Don't care. I'm riding my high as long as I can tonight," Yang said. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I wonder if I can ride something else, too. Maybe get a hotel room for a night...I have been saving my allowance."**

"…Yang!" A green-faced Ruby cried out. "Dad will kill you!"

"No he wouldn't." Yang waved her sister off. "He'd try to kill Naruto…Probably."

" **...Gonna puke." Ruby ducked into the bathroom, Zwei barking and following after her. Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration while Blake rolled her eyes.**

" **She was probably talking about her motorcycle tuned up in a shop," the reading girl said dryly. Blake didn't put it past the blonde to do that and then hold the thoughts of what happened over everyone's heads. Knowing Naruto, who would consider it a great prank of infinite proportions, he'd probably back her up on it.**

" **Nope. I was being serious." Yang's chirp made Blake choke on her own spit and Weiss' face burned. The blonde turned and shrugged at her teammates' incredulous looks. "What? We've been together for, oh, two months? More? That's long enough, I'd say."**

"Rawr! Go, Blondie." Coco smirked in approval at the younger woman.

Yang gave her two thumbs up in return.

" **This is your first date!" Weiss protested.**

" **Off campus." Yang corrected her with a smirk as she finished putting on what she called her 'Hunter' outfit. "Whisker Boy and I have had plenty of dates during class."**

" **...Is that why you keep disappearing during lunch!?" Ruby asked as she walked out of the bathroom, the toilet draining behind her. Zwei trotted out a second later, panting happily as can be.**

" **And the classes after? Oh yeah. We've had three movie dates and about a dozen lunch dates," Yang said proudly. They hadn't been caught skipping once, either, so that was a boost to her pride.**

"That's not how dating works," Weiss said sourly.

"Yes it does, and how would you know? When was the last date you had?" Yang shot back with a smirk.

Weiss' mouth shut with a click and she gave the buxom blonde a dark glare.

 **She went into the bathroom to double check her makeup. "If he pulls a classic on me and takes me to dinner, I think we'd have hit all the marks on the list."**

" **...You do plan to be safe, right?" Blake asked, peeking over her book.**

"I'm not ready to be an aunt!" Ruby wailed out. "It would be just like those teen dramas!"

Weiss, Pyrrha and Ren nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Jaune turned to Nora and raised a brow in question.

"The boy is a sap for a good drama," she said simply.

" **Well,** _ **duh**_ **." Yang rolled her eyes. Contrary to what many believed, she wasn't a brainless beauty. She knew that the chance for involuntary reproduction during one's first time making the Grimm with two backs was just as high as any other time. She walked out of the bathroom as she began to brush her hair. "I don't want to be a mom yet, and I'm pretty sure Naruto's not ready to be a father."**

" **Understatement of the century," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.**

" **Yeah, Dad probably wouldn't like it if you became a mom so soon." Ruby nodded and Zwei barked his agreement as they sat down next to Weiss.**

" **Dad is** _ **so**_ **not one to talk." Yang mumbled to herself as she reflected on the conversation she had the night before. Apparently, her beloved, protective goof of a father tried to change her diaper once and somehow got the used one on his head.**

"He was never good with stuff like that." Ruby said through her giggles while Yang laughed.

 **Switching hands, Yang smiled and closed her eyes. "But, that outcome aside, yeah, I think we're ready."**

" **...Well, it's your relationship." Blake conceded and disappeared back into the realm of budding romance between Nimato and Koo-Sheena.**

"They mean my late to-be in-laws." Yang corrected.

"Can we please not talk about that?" Blake squeezed her eyes shut with a groan.

" **Darn right it is." Yang set her brush on her dresser and faced her team, her hands on her hips. "Well? Do I look** _ **Yang**_ **-able or what?"**

"I'd tap it." Coco smirked.

Yang blinked and eyed the older girl warily. "Um, thanks?"

"Oh, no prob love."

 **Her teammates groaned at the pun. Zwei laid down and covered his eyes with his paws. Their answer made Yang grin.**

" **You girls wish you looked this good."**

"Please, who wants a fat chest?" Weiss huffed.

"Says the one with a 'modest' bust." Yang snarked.

"Are you taking a crack at my chest size?" Weiss asked dangerously as she covered up the anatomy parts in question.

"What? You're a size above a mosquito bite, right?"

"Go die!"

" **I didn't even know I had this shirt," Naruto said as he looked at the azure long-sleeved V-neck that clung to his torso like a second skin. In place of his normal baggy black and orange hoodie was a more stylistic rustic orange jacket, left unzipped to compliment Naruto's roguish handsomeness (he was not cute!). Comfortably fitted dark pants covered his legs – apparently they accented his "greatest** _ **ass**_ **et," in Coco's words, whatever that meant – which were held up by a stylish belt while his home's traditional combat sandals protected his feet.**

"Mm-mm. Bae looks yummy." Yang said with a bright smile and lidded eyes.

"Indeed he does. Definitely a nine in those pants." Coco nodded in agreement.

" **Trust me, I had to** _ **dig**_ **to find it. You have way too much orange and black, Naruto." Coco complained. Upon hearing through the grapevine of gossip (Kurama) about her little brother's planned night on the town, the leader of Team CFVY made it her duty to make him look good. It was really a challenge that she felt obligated to take, and considering her success with Fox and his own orange fetish, Coco knew it would be difficult, but doable.**

"It really is a challenge." Coco said to the male beside her.

Fox just shrugged.

" **I've said it before, I'll say it again: Damn, you clean up good, stupid." Kurama grinned from where he and Velvet sat on his bed. The rabbit-eared Faunus gave him a small nudge and he shrugged. "What? I say it with love."**

"Oh god, you two look so cute together!" Coco gushed as she hugged her friend. "We need to find you a good man Velvet. The proof is in the pudding!"

"I-I'm fine for now." Velvet assured her team leader.

" **I-it's still not nice," Velvet said with a frown.**

" **Bah, he's thick skinned. Trust me, Vel, I've called him worse."**

" **Yeah, thanks for that, Fuzzbutt." Naruto mumbled. He ducked under the book that was thrown his way and grinned at the scowling Faunus. "Ha! Missed me!"**

" **Kurama, you probably shouldn't start a fight after Coco spent so much time playing dress up with her Naruto-Doll." Sasuke warned, a smirk plastered on his face. Kurama snickered while Naruto glowered at him and Coco nodded.**

" **Pretty Boy's got a point," she said while she tried to fix the mess that was Naruto's hair. Coco frowned in disapproval when she couldn't do anything. "Man, what did Goodwitch use to straighten your hair?"**

"Probably a lot of gel." Coco mused while she rubbed her chin. "Something strong, I'm sure...If I had more time, he'd look slick."

"I say let the mane flow free." Yang huffed.

"Hm, point. It does give him a feral look," the fashionista said.

"I think it'd look better short." Blake confessed.

"I actually agree with that." Pyrrha nodded.

" **Hey, don't touch the do!" Naruto slid back and away from Coco with his hands on his head. "The do is what makes this package work!"**

" **It could be shorter," Haku said thoughtfully.**

Blake smirked haughtily at her frowning partner. "Told you so."

"Just because the trap agrees, doesn't mean it's right!"

 **His teammates looked at him and he shrugged. "What? It could."**

" **...So, ignoring my teammate's opinion–"**

" **Hurtful." Haku frowned.**

" **Deal with it," Naruto continued despite Haku's interjection. He dropped his hands into his pockets. "Anyway, since I've got, oh...ten minutes to kill, any words of advice – Not from** _ **you**_ **, Kurama."**

" **You try to help a guy and this is how he treats you."**

" **She dumped a salad on my head!"**

" **...So, she tossed her own salad?"**

"It was a very lonely night." Coco snickered.

"That's just inappropriate," Pyrrha said with colored cheeks. Velvet nodded in agreement, her face just as red.

Coco smiled at Pyrrha. "Wait until you're older, Red."

" **See what I deal with?" Naruto asked the smirking Coco while Kurama snickered at his own joke. Sasuke and Haku were stifling laughter and Velvet was bright red.**

" **I feel so bad for you." Coco replied with faux sympathy. She put her hand on Naruto's shoulder and turned him towards the door. "First bit of advice. Always arrive a tad bit early, it shows you're eager and excited."**

Yang gave a sexy smile. "I wouldn't mind that."

Coco laughed while the others groaned.

" **Right, anything else?"**

" **Try and make this as proper a date as you can, who knows when we'll get the Vale visitation rights back?" Coco asked. She, like Naruto's team, knew exactly how he was going to get out of Beacon and, considering the reason behind it, supported him completely. "Only use your tongue if she starts it, try not to fidget or play with your eating utensils, compliment her looks and most importantly..."**

 **Coco turned Naruto around and stared him dead in the eye.**

" **Don't. Order. Ramen."**

"Wow, shoot him in the jewels." Jaune told Coco.

"It's good advice from what we've seen this kid shovel down."

" **...You can't be serious."**

" **Don't order it, Naruto. I mean it."**

" **B-But-!"**

" **No butts!" Coco cut him off sternly. "This girl really likes you Naruto, and I don't know what your previous girlfriends, if any, thought, but I'm fairly certain they weren't fans of watching you inhale gallons of ramen at dinner."**

"That is _disgusting_." Weiss nodded smugly.

Yang shrugged. "Meh, I can just look away. Plus, his favorite food takes like three minutes to make and you can't ruin it."

 **A building away, a mint-haired girl suddenly sneezed into her partner's face. While the silver haired teen freaked out over the germs, a raven-haired woman laughed uproariously.**

"Bitch."

"Jaune, enough of that." Pyrrha scolded.

"But he is!"

" **Well, when you put it that way," Naruto said with a frown on his face. A begrudging sigh escaped his lips and his shoulders sagged in defeat. "I guess she's worth it."**

"Oh my, his commitment is strong."

"Shut up Weiss." Yang said with a sourly at the white-haired girl's unneeded commentary.

" **Good boy. Now, if you're not coming back please do let one of these idiots know," Coco said, gesturing with her thumb at Naruto's teammates.**

" **Hey!" Kurama and Sasuke protested whereas Haku took it with stride.**

" **Yeah, sure...All right, well, better go now while the window is still open." Naruto mused. He left the dorm room and the door shut behind him, leaving Coco and Velvet in the room with his team. Coco then turned to Kurama and crossed her arms over her chest.**

" **So, when are you going to take my little cupcake out and make her into an honest woman?"**

"God, what is wrong with you?!" Velvet screamed.

"It's a good question."

"No! No it's not!"

" **C-COCO!" Velvet shrieked while Kurama suddenly paled.**

" **So, this is romantic." Yang mused as she followed her boyfriend through the shadows around Beacon's garden towards the gate that would let them get to Vale. They'd already snuck across rooftops, with Naruto showing an interesting amount of acrobatics – something Yang filed away for later –**

"Good eye." Coco thumbs upped Yang.

"Thank you."

"And this is getting weird. Do girls always talk about this stuff?" Jaune asked Pyrrha.

"Don't boys do that with girls?" the Invincible Girl returned.

"…I have no comment." Jaune said firmly. Ren laughed lightly and Fox nodded in approval.

"Smart move." Yatsuhashi praised the younger boy.

 **and talent with what he called 'ninja' rope – yet another thing Yang filed away for later.**

" **Hey, you've got a walk in the moonlight through Beacon's gardens, and then dinner at a cozy little joint that needed reservations. I'd say that's romantic," Naruto said with a glance over his shoulder. He looked ahead just as Yang's eyes dropped down to admire his backside.**

" **Well, you're right." Yang's smile grew slightly as she took in the way his jeans fit his rock hard rear. "The scenery is nice."**

"The Naru-tush is strong with this one," Blake said, which made Yang beam.

Coco lowered her shades and whistled. "It really is a nice one. Lucky girl."

" **Yeah, the flowers that Prof. O has here are well cared for." Naruto nodded, oblivious to her words' true meaning. "That's another thing I wouldn't mind doing the rest of my life."**

" **Gardening?"**

" **Yeah, I like to garden. Got a bit of a green thumb. Heard one day plants liked being talked to, and, well, life alone tends to be pretty quiet...at least that way I didn't seem insane."**

" **...We're sneaking** _ **out**_ **of one of Remnant's most esteemed academies for huntsmen and huntresses."**

" **I do my best to spoil y-Hold up, Atlesian patrol." Naruto mumbled and came to a stop. Two of the Atlesian soldiers assigned to guard the academy walked by, muttering about droids malfunctioning. Naruto held his hand up and counted down from three to zero before he hurried across the path to gathering of large bushes, which he promptly ducked down into. Yang rushed after him and crouched beside him.**

" **This is a great date, Whisker Boy," she whispered. "We're already eating bush together."**

"Boo! _Boo_!" Weiss jeered, cupping her hands around her mouth as she did.

"Oh come on! That was golden!" Yang complained.

Blake made an iffy motion, "Could have been better."

"Everyone's a critic." Yang pouted with crossed arms.

" **Wait until dessert. You'll love my salted** _ **nuts**_ **."**

"See? Classic!"

"More like classless." Pyrrha admitted.

"Oh! Oh! Pyrrha burned you good!" Nora laughed at Yang.

Yang was stunned since it was the sweet tempered Pyrrha who'd done it.

 **Yang snickered and followed her smirking boyfriend to the main gate, where he promptly turned and cupped his hands in front of him.**

" **Ladies first," Naruto said with a grin. Yang sauntered up to him and put a foot in his hands while her hands pressed on his shoulders.**

" **My, aren't you the gentleman?" She asked with smile. A quick peck on the lips was given to her beau. "See you on the other side, Whisker Boy."**

" **Brace yourself." Naruto warned before he tossed Yang up. She landed on the other side of the fence and turned back to him.**

" **So, who's going to throw you?" Yang asked. Naruto leaned against the fence and winked at her before he nodded over at a nearby gathering of trees.**

" **Meet you over there in five minutes. Keep me waiting and I'm ditching your fine ass."**

" **Oh my ass is fine, huh?" Yang asked with a smirk.**

" **Four minutes, forty-three seconds."**

" **You think you're** _ **so**_ **smart."**

" **Bah, I'm not smart," Naruto said. He grinned widely and held up his right hand. "But I** _ **am**_ **clever.**

"He sort of is." Jaune agreed.

 **Spotlights are going to light me up in three, two..."**

 **On cue, a few large beams of light illuminated the two teens. A bullhorn sounded and multiple robotic foot soldiers rushed into lines, weapons aimed at the two.**

" _ **Halt! Put your hands above your head and identify yourself!**_ **"**

"Busted!" Ruby winced.

"As they should be." The Schnee heiress snorted.

Yang smirked at Weiss. "You're just jealous that we get out and you're locked up at Beacon."

"That's beside the point, stupid."

" **...I hate how you can do that." Yang mumbled.**

" **Three minutes, twenty-three seconds," Naruto said with a smirk plastered on his face. He stole a kiss from her before he glanced at the trees that he pointed out earlier. "Might want to get that fine ass moving."**

" **You are so lucky that you're cute."**

" **Three minutes, nine seconds."**

 **Yang stuck her tongue out at Naruto before she turned tail and ran.**

 **Naruto tilted his head slightly. "Hate to see her go, but I** _ **love**_ **to watch her leave."**

"Meh." Blake shrugged. Yang nearly snapped her neck when she turned at look at her partner.

"What was that?" The buxom blonde asked with narrowed eyes.

Blake grinned at her. "Meh."

"See if I ever scratch your ears ever again."

The cat Faunus paled a little at that.

" _ **We will not warn you again! Put your hands above your head and identify yourself!**_ **"**

" **Ooh, getting official with me, this is serious." He lifted his hands up slowly. "I'm just passing through boys!"**

" _ **Turn around slowly and identify yourself!**_ **"**

" **I have a message for you, two words only."**

" _ **We**_ **will** _ **fire! Last warning! Turn around!**_ **"**

" **Smoke bomb!"**

Weiss palmed her face.

"Ninja-tude." Blake whispered. She was nothing but smiles. The Schnee heiress looked about ready to tear her hair out at the word.

" _ **...Did you just say-?**_ **" Naruto threw his hands down and two small balls hit the ground before it exploded. The blond was engulfed in a massive cloud of smoke and the drones began to open fire. The handler swore over the bullhorn. "** _ **Shit! Cease fire! Cease fire!**_ **"**

 **Yang, from her spot beyond the gates, covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my god..."**

" **I know, right? They're going to have to file so much paperwork."**

 **Yang turned and stared at Naruto, who was grinning madly as he watched the Atlesian soldiers try to rein in the drones. The whiskered teen looked at her and arched a brow.**

" **What?"**

" **How in the Hell did you get over here so fast?"**

" **I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm a ninja." Naruto grinned at her. "Fear my ninja-tude."**

Blake pumped her fist in agreement.

"Huh, that is never going to get old, is it?" Velvet asked.

"Nope/Yes." The black and white themed girls said.

" **...Ninja, huh? Gonna sneak us back in?"**

" **Nah, the Pervy Sage will. He offered to when he got us that opening."**

" _ **That's**_ **an opening?"**

" **Drones opening fire on an unknown and unarmed person while the security cameras are on the fritz? Yeah, that's an exploitable opening if I ever heard of one. Now..." Naruto stood up and offered Yang his arm. "Shall we hit the town?"**

 **Yang smirked as she stood and looped her arm around his. "Of course,** _ **darling**_ **."**

"Oh, not the sappy pet names, that's gag city." Nora blanched.

" **...I think I like Whisker Boy better." Naruto mumbled as he led her out of the brush and towards the subdued nightlife of Vale.**

" **Would it be better if I call you Honey?" Yang asked playfully.**

"Okay, even you aren't that sappy." Ruby told Yang.

"It's the fun of saying it though!"

" **I call you that. We can't call each other the same nickname, we'd sound like idiots then." Naruto pointed out.**

" **Fair enough." Yang agreed. "How's cutie-patootie?"**

" **If you ever call me that in public, I** _ **will**_ **spank you." Naruto told her seriously. "You will** _ **not**_ **enjoy it and it** _ **will**_ **hurt."**

"Huh, kinky." Yang smiled a little.

"It's like that scene in chapter 14…"

"What kinks doesn't it have?" Coco grinned at Blake.

The Cat Faunus flushed. "I'm just speaking out loud…which I will stop doing. Right now."

" **O-kay, not that then." Yang pursed her lips and thought for a second before she snapped her fingers. "How's being my main squeeze sound?"**

" **Painful."**

" **Shmoopy-pie?"**

" **You made that up on the spot, cuddle-kins."**

" **Oh, god, do** _ **not**_ **call me that...poopie-loo."**

" **Did you just call me a toilet, baby-cakes?"**

" **Maybe I did, Whisker Boy, what are you going to do about it?"**

" **Well, I was going to take you to a crappy diner, but obviously you need some classes in proper date etiquette." Naruto sniffed haughtily.**

" **Oh really?" Yang smirked.**

" **You bet your sweet ass, Honey-Boobs."**

"Ding-ding-ding! We got a winner!" Yang laughed. She smiled at the screen and rested her chin in her hand. "Oh, Bae...We were so meant to be."

"He. Is. Fictional."

"Let me dream, Weiss!"

" **Honey-Boobs?" Yang laughed and gave her boyfriend a questioning look. Naruto nodded and grinned at her.**

" **While you have a nice derriere," Naruto said, taking a moment to lean his head back and openly admire the way her rear was framed by her pants. He returned his gaze to Yang's and gestured with a glance to her chest region, quick to return his blue eyes to her lilac. "Your Yang-ing rack is** _ **far**_ **superior to anyone else's. Thus, instead of Honey-buns, you are my Honey-Boobs."**

"The council deems this fair and just." Yang nodded sternly.

"So who'd be the honey-buns?" Coco asked, thumbing to Velvet. "Our bunny mascot?"

"No, please!"

"Nah, that's Blake and the Bellabooty."

"Bella-what?"

"Yang," Blake hissed. "Shut it."

"Bu-But the Bellabooty should be shared with the world!"

 **While the repetitive conversation consisting of corny-slash-inappropriate nicknames and the explanation of them was occurring, on the side of the road a familiar mane of white hair popped up. The owner of the mane giggled to himself and scribbled down several of the names mentioned, including the reasoning and details behind them.**

" **Oh yeah, that 'a boy, Naruto. You woo her like a champ!" Jiraiya whispered to himself. He giggled and scratched more notes into his handy-dandy notebook. "Kushina would be so proud of you, taking charge in the way Minato never could. Ooh...I should use that. Now if only I knew her measurements...Oh, shit, I'm losing them!"**

 **Jiraiya jumped up and sneakily stal-** _ **followed**_ **the blond couple, a grin on his face.**

 _ **I hope he listened to my advice and takes her to-**_

"You are being stalked by a big pervert, what do you do ladies?" Ruby asked in a serious tone.

"Freeze him." Weiss said.

"Stab him." Blake added.

"Smash him!" Nora cheered

"Shoot him." Coco grinned.

"Um, ask him politely to leave?" Velvet pushed forward.

"Call the police?" Pyrrha suggested.

"I was going for slash him into pieces, but nice try ladies." Ruby smiled teasingly.

"Boo! That was a rigged question!" Yang jeered and threw a crumpled piece of paper at her sister.

" **The 'Mysterious Tree'?" Yang asked. The building her boyfriend had led her to was on the oddly quiet corner of Monty Ave. It was homely with red and grey bricks, very welcoming to the wayward drunk. Yang turned to give Naruto a look. "You're taking me to a tavern?"**

Weiss held her hand over her mouth, covering a giggle. Yang gave her the stink eye.

"It looks lovely," the Schnee heiress said around her amusement. "Truly, five stars."

"Shut up, silver spoon." Yang huffed. "It's unorthodox. I like it."

" **The last person I want to see on a date with you is Junior, though the twins were kind of pretty, maybe we could include them sometime, apologize for the fight – Joke, I was joking." Naruto rolled his eyes when Yang gave him a pointed look. He flashed a winning smile. "They pale in comparison to you, Honey-Boobs."**

"I'm not that open minded." Yang confessed. Ruby sighed in relief. The girl hung her head and had tears prickling the corners of her eyes when Yang added: "Yet."

" **Nice save, Whisker Boy."**

" **I said I was clever, not smart." Naruto gave her a gentle nudge in her arm. "C'mon, it'll be fun. We already went clubbing together, saw movies, had lunch..."**

" **You just want to get me drunk," Yang said accusingly.**

" **...Well, I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't be an interesting outcome, if unintended." Naruto admitted.**

" **...Alright. But you're ordering the first drink." Yang looked at him and smirked. "If anyone's getting date raped tonight, Whisker Boy, it's going to be you."**

"Ominous." Yatsuhashi said, giving Yang a look.

The blonde sputtered. "Hey! I wouldn't do that!"

"I don't know, you do go to a lot of clubs…"

"Ruby! That has nothing to do with it!"

"I can see it."

"Shut up, Blake!"

" **...I don't know whether to be afraid or jealous of what may occur to my unconscious body." Naruto mused with pursed lips, which prompted his girlfriend to laugh and lead him into the tavern.**

 **The feeling of being welcomed immediately engulfed the two teens and smiles quickly spread on their faces at the sheer amount of joy that filled the room. Naruto led Yang up to the bar and knocked on the wood. The bartender, a man about the age of Jiraiya, turned and met their eyes. He had a thin moustache and triangular beard that grew from his chin, the sort that would be seen on a criminal family head typical of Vacuo.**

" **...You're both a bit young t' be in here, aren't you?" He asked, his eyes narrowed and the pipe in his mouth shifted from one side to the next.**

" **She's seventeen. I'm seventeen. Legal drinking age in Vale is sixteen and up." Naruto said, subtly moving closer to Yang.**

"Still another year Ruby." Yang smiled at her sister.

"I'm not going drinking with you."

"You will, and you will like it young lady!"

"You can't make me!"

"Wanna bet!?"

"Weiss, save me!"

"Both of you knock it off!" Weiss frowned at the squabbling siblings. "Honestly, if we're going to suffer with this nonsense, let's do so with some dignity."

"...What's that word mean?" Ruby asked.

"Being boring and having no fun." Yang huffed.

"Shut up, you!"

 **He felt rather than saw several eyes turn toward him and his ears twitched as he heard the familiar sound of leather being gripped under the joyous atmosphere. The whiskered blond kept his gaze locked with the bartender. "I was referred here, but if you won't serve us, we'll leave."**

" **Who referred you?"**

" **A perverted old toad."**

" **...This toad...He wouldn't be named, Jiraiya, would he?" The Bartender narrowed his eyes.**

"Well, good to know that name gets you kicked out of places."

"Weiss, shush, we're watching." Pyrrha told her.

" **Er...Yes?" Naruto answered uneasily. The Bartender stared at Naruto for another moment and slid his pipe to the other corner of his mouth. Then...he smiled.**

" **Well, any friend of Jiraiya's is welcome here!" The Bartender gestured to the left, over at a more diner-restaurant-like set up than the right, bar-like side of the tavern. "Right this way please."**

"See Weiss? Perfectly fine!" Yang smirked as she rubbed it in.

"I still think he could have picked some place nicer." The heiress scrunched her nose.

 **As they followed the odd Bartender, Yang turned to her boyfriend and whispered, "Your godfather suggested this place?"**

" **I know right? I thought it was a club in the wrong side of Vale." Naruto mumbled as he looked over the various black and white photographs hung on the wall. "Look at that, Spruce Willis ate here after the first** _ **Rough End**_ **film...and Jack L. Samuels was here, too!"**

" **...You were going to take me to a Red Light bar?" Yang asked, unsure how to react to that.**

"Upset, annoyed?" Yang suggested. A tavern was one thing, but a red light bar was out of the question.

" **What? No! ...I was only going to swing by here and confirm whether or not the perv was just trying to perv on us," Naruto said under his breath.**

" **...I thought you told him-?"**

" **You're off limits." Naruto mumbled. He grimaced. "I am not."**

"That is horrendous!" Weiss said, an appalled look on her face.

"Indeed, what kind of man would do that?" Pyrrha asked in disgust.

Blake snorted. "A super pervert?"

That silenced the two well-mannered girls.

" **...Ew."**

" **Yeah, I know."**

" **Here you are," the Bartender said with a smile as he sat them at a table for two. Other couples or groups sat enjoying happy meals around them. Once the two had sat, he twirled his fingers and produced a match, lighting the candle set between them on the wall. He shook the match out and clasped his hands together. "A waiter will be over to take your orders shortly. Any drinks I can prepare?"**

" **I'll-" "** _ **She'll**_ **have Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, with a cute little umbrella, purple if you've got one," Naruto said, cutting Yang off and meeting her gaze with a small smile. "I'll take Fire Dust Ale...If you've got it."**

" **Pretty strong stuff, boy. Sure you can stomach it?" The bartender asked, a brow raised.**

 **Naruto glanced at him and grinned. "Buddy, you're looking at a guy who's survived being inside three Grimm stomachs."**

"That's not something to brag about." Jaune said with a deadpanned expression.

"Says you." Yatsuhashi rumbled.

" **...That is a tale you'll have to tell me another time," the Bartender said under his breath. He bowed his head and backed away. "You'll have your drinks shortly."**

 **Once the Bartender left, Yang fixed her boyfriend with a look. "...How did you-?"**

" **Your favorite drink, Yang. Wrote it down when you filled out that questionnaire for Goodwitch on psyche evals for the Vytal." Naruto cut her off again with a grin.**

" **Starting to seem stalker-ish, Whisker Boy," Yang said.**

"Stranger danger, stranger danger!"

Yang pushed her annoying little sister to the side, shoving a pillow into her face. Ruby futilely slapped at her arm, all the while letting out muffled cries of the phrase.

" **And I asked Ruby what your favorite drink was. You've told her plenty of times when you were bragging about your first drink and when you dream about hitting up Patch's beach in the summer," Naruto said. He sat back in his seat and looked at the butter knife. He picked the silverware up and smirked at her. "Like how you snuck Kurama some lien for information on what I enjoy to watch when I have to relieve some stress. For the record, it's not food related. Water-works are fun though."**

"And I've heard far too much today." Ruby mumbled into the pillow.

"Hot or cold though?" Yang pondered while she released Ruby.

"Cold." Coco recommended.

" **Should've known he'd say something, sly fox..." Yang mumbled with a huff. She narrowed her eyes at her smirking boyfriend and drummed her fingers on the table. "Well, if you'd open up-"**

" **I do open up, Yang. I just do it subtly." Naruto mumbled. He glanced out at the people around him. "Force of habit when you become a spymaster's apprentice."**

"Oh, and he's a spy, of course." Weiss nodded condescendingly.

"Sexy super ninja spy? Score." Yang smirked.

" **...Jiraiya's a huntsman."**

" **And there's Grimm outside the walls of Vale trying to get in," Naruto said, looking back at her pointedly. "Yang...I haven't lied to you or kept anything hidden. Anything that wasn't important anyway."**

" **I know, Naruto." Yang reached across and put her hand atop of his. "It wouldn't hurt to share a bit more of those little secrets, though."**

"Spill the goods!" Nora agreed. "Secrets are so annoying!"

" **Well, that's part of the fun, isn't it?"**

" **I suppose so."**

 **Naruto cracked a small smile and Yang returned it as their hands gently clasped around one another.**

" **Ah, to be young and in love."**

 **The two blondes were shaken from their moment at the sound of the elderly woman's voice. Looking at the speaker, they found a short woman at their side with a tray in hand consisting of a few drinks. The woman, wrinkled, but lively, had short, curly white hair and deep purple eyes. A smile was on her face as she looked at them.**

" **You two remind me of myself and my husband...before he became a lazy good for nothing drunk!" she shouted over her shoulder. A short man seated at the bar waved his hand at her lazily while the other patrons hooted and hollered at him.**

"Aw, that's kind of sweet." Blake smiled.

"Being yelled at for being a drunk?" Ren asked.

"No, being together for that long."

 **The woman turned back to the startled blondes. "But don't you mind ol' Shima. Now, who ordered the Sunrise?"**

" **That's mine. Thank you." Yang smiled at the waitress nervously as she took the drink.**

" **Then the Fire Dust is yours, eh, Mi-n..."**

" **Naruto, thank you, Shima." Naruto introduced and thanked the kind woman as he took his drink and set it before him.**

" **Well mannered." Shima looked over at Yang and winked. "Keep a tight grip on this one, and watch his glass. Make sure he's not prone to** _ **over ordering**_ **!"**

"And the arguing?" Ren smiled a little at Blake.

"Also sweet in its own charming way."

" **Ohh, get back to work n' leave me alone!" the aforementioned patron complained while his fellow drunks laughed.**

 **Shima huffed and walked away, but not before giving the two a smile. "If you need anything more, just let ol' Shima know."**

" **We'll do that." Naruto nodded. He waited until she walked away before he looked at Yang. "Thoughts on 'Ol' Shima'?"**

" **She's one rockin' granny." Yang smiled and took a sip of her Strawberry Sunrise, plucking the purple umbrella out and putting it to the side.**

"Anyone who can act like that is good in my books." The buxom blonde grinned.

" **You?"**

" **She seems...Familiar." Naruto mumbled, his brow knit together in confusion. He took a drink of his ale and shook his head. "Reminds me of my mom, or, well, what I've heard about her. Damn! That's got more of a kick than usual. It's been a while since I had real Fire Dust Ale."**

" **...Tell me about them."**

 **Naruto gave Yang a perplexed look. "Who?"**

" **Your parents."**

" **My parents?"**

"No, my parents." Yang rolled her eyes.

"Our family history is weird." Ruby muttered as she knitted her brow.

"Tell me about it, sis."

" **Yeah," Yang smiled. She set her drink down and rested her cheek on one hand, the elbow propping her up. "Consider it the first little secret you're telling me."**

" **It's not a secret, but fair enough...My parents are legends," Naruto said proudly. "While everyone on Remnant feared the wrath of the Thunder God and his bride, the Bloody Death, Vacuo hails the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero as the greatest of their generation."**

" **Wait, your parents were called the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero?" Yang asked with a smirk. "No wonder your favorite color is orange."**

"So, we can blend colors together for pairings?" Blake mused, a gleam in her eye.

"Oh, no you don't." Weiss warned.

"Why? It's a cute little idea."

"Stop plotting, you romantic."

"You are, too."

"…That is beside the point." Weiss hedged.

" **Damn straight. People back home call me the Orange Titan."**

" **Yeah, right."**

" **They do! ...Well, that or Orange Demon, but I like Orange Titan better."**

" **I'll bet." Yang pursed her lips thoughtfully. She let out a small laugh. "How does someone get the name Red Hot-Blooded Habanero?"**

" **Well," Naruto said with a small smile. "To be fair, kids are** _ **terrible**_ **at giving out nicknames."**

"They really do." Pyrrha said as she pet her hair.

" **No!"**

" **Yep." Naruto chuckled. "Mom got her name back when she was young. Heck, according to Pervy Sage, she got it the day after she joined my dad's class. Jiraiya said she had a wicked temper like you'd never seen..."**

" _ **And her hair reminded the kids of a habanero. Or it reminded them of a tomato. It depended on who you asked, really."**_

" **Hey, Tomato-Head, how's it-? Oof!" A brown-haired boy with squinted eyes doubled over a fist that imbedded itself in his stomach. He was pushed to the ground and let out a wheeze when the weight of his attacker landed on his back.**

" **Say it again!" The little redheaded girl, no older than ten, growled at her victim.**

"I wonder if Pyrrha was like that? Redheads are crazy after all."

"Nora!" Pyrrha flushed in protest.

"What? We want to see little you! And how crazy you were."

The warrior girl frowned, "I was very well mannered, thank you."

"Ten Lien says she was a troublemaker." Coco begged to differ.

"Deal!" Jaune agreed.

Pyrrha turned a brighter shade of red. "Jaune!"

 **Her hands clutched his hair and pulled, ripping a few strands from the scalp, but not all would go easily. The boy cried out in pain and she pushed his face into the dirt. "C'mon, Burori! I can't hear you! What'd you say about my head?!"**

" **G-Get off of me you freak!"**

" **Who're you callin' a freak you-you...you freak!?"**

"Kids are terrible at insults." Coco snickered. She smiled at the screen. "Though his mom is so cute and tiny."

"I just want to hug her." Pyrrha admitted with a fond little smile.

" **Geez, looks like Burori made the Habanero's blood boil. Idiot." Another boy said to the blond that stood beside him. The blond watched the redheaded girl turn towards his friend and his blue eyes went wide with terror.**

"Then that has to be Minato!" Yang pointed out with a bright grin.

"He is precious." Weiss admitted to the little cutie.

"Aw, I want to hug him." Ruby said with a smile.

"Well, I can see what Yang and Naruto's kids might look like. And act like, from Kushina at least." Blake said.

"...I've won at life!" Yang pumped her fist.

"…Can I get one?" Nora pointed to Minato.

"No." Ren told her.

"Drat!"

 **Wisely, he took a step to the side, away from his friend that had earned the class new ill-tempered girl's ire.**

" **What'd you say, Tomo? You want some too!?" The girl launched herself at the boy, Tomo, who could do no more than squeak before she tackled him to the dirt. Seated on his stomach, the redheaded girl quickly wrapped an arm around his head and began to grind her other hand's knuckles along his scalp. "Speak up, speak up! I can't laugh at your jokes if you don't tell me them!"**

" **Gah! Ow! Ow! Ow! Teacher! Help! Kushina's lost it again!"**

 **The blond boy watched from the sidelines. He wanted to help, really he did, but his two friends had started it. Honestly, he didn't see what was so bad about her hair.**

 **He liked the color red.**

"Kid's got good taste." Coco chuckled.

" **...I might've taken some liberties with that particular story, but from what the Pervy Sage said, my dad might've...possibly-stalked-my-mom-cuz-he-liked-her-hair..." Naruto muttered out sheepishly.**

" **No way! Oh, that's so-so...cute!" Yang laughed. "He had a little crush on her!"**

"It was love at first punch!" Nora swooned.

"So romantic..." Yang sighed.

"That is not romantic!" Weiss shouted at the two.

" **That's what Pervy Sage believes, but he's not the most trustworthy of sources." Naruto mumbled. There was an affronted cry from the bar followed by a hard whack that was ignored by the couple.**

Weiss let out a soft cackle.

"Weiss, you inner sadist is out."

"Oh not agai-Hey!" Weiss glared at Ruby for her remark. "I am not a sadist!"

 **Naruto took another drink of his ale and chuckled. "He tends to romanticize their relationship. Claims it was his instruction that made my dad step up and take her as his wife. ...That and something about grabbing him in public...I don't remember really. He always used to cut himself off and shiver."**

"We can only imagine what happened." Jaune said with a dark and worried look.

" **Sounds like an interesting woman." Yang mused.**

" **She sure does..." Naruto muttered. He tapped his thumb on the side of his glass and looked around. "Where's the waiter-?"**

" **May I take your order?" Two near-identical teens, one with orange hair and the other with blue, asked, standing at the side of their table.**

" **...That's what I call service." Naruto mumbled.**

 **One waiter, the orange haired boy, looked at the blue haired one. "Kichi! Pa ask you to take their order too?"**

" **Tatsu, your shift ended three hours ago!" The blue haired boy, Kichi growled.**

" **...Oh yeah...Why am I here, then?" Tatsu asked.**

" **A good question," Kichi grabbed Tatsu by the collar and back of his pants. He carried the orange-haired waiter towards the kitchen doors, promptly throwing Tatsu through with a yell. "Why don't you go find an answer in the kitchen!?"**

"And take out the trash while you're at it!" Nora shook her fist.

"I love sketches like that." Velvet giggled up a storm.

 **There was a crash and a cat yowl. Kichi dusted his hands off and turned back towards Naruto and Yang, a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to speak when Tatsu's voice called out from the kitchen.**

" **Hey Kichi! I 'membered why I stayed! I landed in the snacks!"**

"…Lucky!" Ruby whined with a pout.

" **...That's great, Tatsu! ...Hope you choke on it you dumbass..." Kichi grumbled. He quickly put a smile back on his face and looked at the amused couple. "So, what can I get you?"**

" **Well...any recommendations?" Yang asked, trying not to laugh at the obviously annoyed waiter.**

" **We have a lovely smoked steak, roasted duck, and a magnificent, world famous chef special: Ichiraku Ramen."**

"That is just sinfully cruel." Weiss pointed out and then smiled. "I love it."

 **Naruto choked on his drink and clapped a hand over his mouth. A fist pounded on his chest and he cleared his throat. "I-Ichiraku? Vacoan chef, Ichiraku?"**

" **Yes! Well, not** _ **the**_ **Ichiraku. He refused to leave his home so instead, we got his daughter."**

 **Naruto immediately paled. "D-Daughter?"**

" **Daughter?" Yang asked, her smile quickly falling.**

" **Yes, she's just as good a cook as her father and knows how to make it just right." Kichi nodded. He sighed dreamily. "Real beautiful gal, homely...gorgeous brown eyes, silky brown hair that reaches-"**

" **Down to her waist?"**

 **Yang snapped her eyes over to Naruto.**

"He didn't!" Yang growled, her eyes flickering red.

"Even _I'm_ not that stupid." Jaune muttered.

 **The whiskered blond was trembling, his hand shaking the glass in his hand as he lifted it up to his mouth.**

" **You've seen her too? Mighty fine, isn't she?" Kichi sighed. "She swore herself to one man with a scarred face. Whoever this lucky bastard is...I envy him."**

" **Really?" Yang asked while she tapped a finger on the table and gave her boyfriend a look. "One man. Tell me, uh, Kichi. Did this...daughter of Ichiraku ever work as a waitress for her father?"**

" **...I think she mentioned something about waitressing once..." Kichi mumbled.**

" **Ayame..." Naruto mumbled.**

" **Ayame, huh?" Yang repeated, her eyes closed and a brow twitching. "Does she like footlongs?"**

"Wow, you are easy to anger." Coco told Yang.

"Have you not seen me burn?" the blonde asked her upper classman.

"I wish you came with a dimmer."

Yang paused and looked at Blake. "That was a good one. Bravo."

"I have my moments."

" **What?"**

" **She's my sister, Yang!" Naruto blurted out. Eyes, from all over the Mystical Tree, turned to him. "The, uh, the guy she's devoted to is an old friend. His name's Iruka."**

" **Yeah, lucky scar-faced bastard," Kichi said sourly. He hung his head and people returned to their meals before he perked up again. "So, what'll it be?"**

" **I'll have the ra-steak." Naruto ordered, changing his order quickly.**

" **I'd like a bowl of ramen, miso please." Yang smiled beautifully at the waiter. Kichi flushed, wrote down the order, and then scurried off to the back while Naruto gaped at her.**

"Such betrayal! I love it!"

"Weiss, your dramatic side is showing."

"Silence, Ruby! I'm enjoying watching him squirm."

" **...Wh-wha?"**

" **A sister, huh?" Yang mused. She stirred her drink with the previously set aside purple umbrella. "I thought you were an orphan."**

" **We're not blood related, Yang," Naruto said lowly. He looked out over at the patrons of the bar and restaurant, who'd long since gone back to their own conversations, before he looked back at her. "Look, when I was young and out of the orphanage-"**

" **What?"**

" **When I was five I was given my own apartment, all right, it was complicated. Some kind of politics – that's not the point." Naruto shook his head and hands.**

"That 'politically' makes little sense." Weiss frowned at such a gross notion. "Who'd let a five-year-old raise themselves? It's asinine."

" **When I was little and on my own, I had a stipend from Kon's government, and it wasn't a lot. Meals weren't easy to come by and ramen was cheap. So, a very kind father and his daughter would let me eat there for, one-two percent off, tops. It was the best deal ever."**

" **And...?"**

" **Ayame was like the older sister I never had...besides Coco...Well, Ayame was more like the 'helpful' older sister and Coco's like how...uh..." Naruto trailed off.**

"Go on." Coco ushered at the screen.

 **He was about to say 'like how you are to Ruby' before his brain's filter miraculously kicked in. It chooses the ficklest of moments to kick in.**

" **Coco's like...?" Yang fished again, giving her boyfriend a suspicious look.**

" **Coco. You know, she's Coco. Coco's one of a kind." Naruto continued hastily.**

"Well, yes, but I don't see what the problem is with me being like Yang to lil Ruby."

"You have no idea." Weiss and Blake said dryly. Ruby just sighed and her head hung.

 **He took a breath and put a hand on the table. "What I'm trying to say is, Ayame's, to my knowledge anyway,** _ **not**_ **the ramen waitress without a, uh, gag reflex."**

"…Smooth." Yatsuhashi commented lowly.

" **Oh, really?" Yang asked, her eyes narrowed. "Then why were you so nervous when she was brought up?"**

" **Well...I might've...sort of...skipped out on saying goodbye when I left Kon? Heh-heh..." Naruto sheepishly admitted while scratching his right cheek with one finger.**

"I'd be scared too if I were him." Jaune agreed. "If I did that to my sisters? I'd be dead."

" **...Really?"**

" **Yeah, and...No offense, Yang, but...Women in my life tend to be more frightening when they're angry at me." Naruto muttered. He took another drink of his ale and, once he set the glass down, pursed his lips. "According to Jiraiya, I get that from my father..."**

" **...Your dad sounds like a smart guy," Yang said smugly. She leaned back in her seat and traced the rim of her drink with one finger. "...So, no ramen tonight?"**

" **...N-no. I-I'm not in the mood." Naruto lied through his teeth. "W-was getting...s-s-s-s-sick of it."**

"You are so going to torture him, aren't you?" Blake asked as she smirked at Yang. The blonde winked at her.

"You know it, Blake-y."

" **Hmm, that's a shame..." Yang dipped her finger into her drink and then lifted it up to her mouth. "And here I was hoping you'd show me how to really,** _ **really**_ **enjoy ramen."**

 **Naruto's brain went numb as Yang started to suck the Strawberry Sunrise off of her finger gently. She slowly pulled her index finger out of her mouth until there was a light pop.**

"Ew, Yang! That's gross."

"It's called seduction Ruby, it's a talent." Yang bragged.

" **I mean, you know the best way to** _ **eat**_ **it..." Yang breathed as her finger slowly, but subtly, went down to her cleavage. Lilac eyes were locked on cerulean blue, which in turn were locked on that damnable thin finger. Yang smirked slightly and her finger drifted away to the chopsticks that were set beside the rolled up silverware.**

" **How to use the** _ **utensils**_ **..." Yang broke the chopsticks apart in a way that should've been impossible: sensually. "Properly."**

"…You watch way too much porn if you can do that like _that_." Blake said dryly.

"I watch your stash."

Blake paled, how did she find it?!

 **Well, they did say the quickest way to a man's heart was through his stomach, and luckily for Yang, Naruto had taken enough Fire Dust Ale (notably sixty-three percent alcohol per volume) into his system for his mental walls to be shattered.**

"…No." Ruby said with a horrified look.

"Yep."

"I need a barf bag, don't I?"

 **It also helped that a certain overseer/chronicler/pervert had possibly –** _ **possibly**_ **– tossed in a milliliter of the Mysterious Tree's special 400 Toad Proof brew.**

 **Healing factor or not, Naruto was buzzed.**

 **And Yang was unknowingly capitalizing on it.**

"Yang-ing." Yang pumped her fist.

" **...Yang..."**

" **Yes, Naruto?" Yang asked.**

" **...We need to go." Naruto grabbed Yang's hand and pulled her with him out of the tavern. "Now."**

 **Yang had a grin on her face as she was pulled along by her boyfriend to the nearest, nicest hotel. Being reminded that there were at least two girls out there that had managed to see her boyfriend's tool – and do more in some cases – lit up her jealousy and a fire of desire ignited like no other had before.**

"Bet it really revved that engine." Coco said.

"Oh, it does, and it needs to be takin for a ride." Yang purred.

"Where is that bag?!" Ruby panicked, scrambling around the room.

 **A promise she made that night to herself and, while a suggestion at first it had now become thus, to her team flew to the forefront to her mind. Yang no longer wanted dinner.**

 **Oh, she was hungry, don't doubt it.**

 **But she wanted to have dessert** _ **first.**_

"How unbecoming, at least eat something first." Weiss frowned.

"For the stamina?" Coco asked.

"…Yes." Weiss flushed at her slip.

" **...Wow, right into the Stallion Inn without even dinner. She must want it as bad as he does." Jiraiya mused. He grinned, dropped some lien on the counter and started to rise up from his seat when a metal ladle slammed down on his head.**

"Yeah, smack him again!" Weiss cheered.

"Kick his ass, you awesome granny!" Yang cheered. The blonde bombshell didn't want her first time to be recorded in immortality. She had to make sure she was good, then she'd welcome it.

 **The white haired Huntsman yelped and collapsed back into his bar stool.**

" **You won't be spyin' on them, Jiraiya-Boy! Damned what your rank is, my word is law, and my word says you will leave them young'uns to be young'uns like you were long ago." Shima warned Jiraiya, shaking the Ladle-Of-Doom at him menacingly.**

" **Ah, but Ma-!" Jiraiya protested.**

"No Yang-ing smut for you!" Yang nodded sternly with crossed arms. "Maybe later, but not now."

" **No buts, Jiraiya-Boy. Ma's right." The husband of Shima croaked from his seat. The elderly man had grey hair that covered the sides and back of his head, with age leaving his scalp smooth and hairless. He straightened his back and cracked his neck before he turned and locked two golden eyes on the cowering Jiraiya. "You will leave Minato-boy and Kushina's son alone."**

" **B-But...But...Think of my work, Pa!"**

" **I am! And the last thing you need is to capture or witness the first time between two young souls deep in love." The old man scolded. He dropped from his barstool and looked at the Bartender. "Bunta! Close up. The rest of ya, go home. Sleep. We need to get preparations in order."**

" **As you wish, Father Fukasaku," the bartender, Bunta, said with a bow. He turned and pushed open the door. "Kichi! Tatsu! Clean up and prepare for initiation!"**

" **Okay Pops!" "Kay, Dad!"**

" **Ungrateful little...Stop calling me Pops, Kichi!"**

"So, Yang isn't a virgin anymore probably. And will undoubtedly be unbearable for it." Weiss said dryly.

"Weiss, you are absolutely right." Yang agreed with a broad smile.

"I just hope we don't see anything." Ruby groaned.

Coco shrugged and took some popcorn, "Free show is a free show, kiddo."

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXVII: Morning After**

* * *

"Oh, yes. Show me with some of that glorious afterglow." Yang rubbed her hands together eagerly.

"What is wrong with you!?" Weiss asked, her face bright red as were the faces of the other first years.

 **Within the tavern known as Mysterious Tree, the patrons had mostly left, save for the owners and a duo of old codgers.**

" **So, you believe he's ready?" Fukasaku asked the white haired man. Jiraiya took a sip of his Toad Proof sake and looked at Fukasaku.**

" **Pa," he said. "He's been ready for a year...I only held off because he wanted to get into Beacon. With how certain pieces are moving, I don't know if we'll still be around to see him graduate, let alone initiate him afterwards. He's ready, I know it."**

"So we have secret organizations?" Ruby beamed. "He really is a spy!"

"You've been watching way too many James Weld movies." Yang teased.

Ruby huffed at her sister. "You got me the collection set, so stop complaining."

" **That doesn't mean anything!" a patron scoffed from the side. The patron wore an open magenta shirt and dark pants that settled over clog-like sandals similar to Jiraiya's. He had a mug in one hand, which was covered in a gauntlet similar to Jiraiya's, that he lifted to his mouth, downing the contents with a sloppy slurp. A red monkey tail swished angrily as the man set the mug down, revealing his face. Messy, dark red hair, once gathered in a ponytail atop his head, curtained down over his eyes and had a thick beard across his chin. A single purple line crossed under his eyes and over his nose, which was crinkled in drunken upset.**

" **Roshi, you're drunk." Jiraiya drawled to his friend and fellow admirer of the female form.**

"So that's Sun's granddad? I can see where he gets his manners." Weiss huffed.

Blake glared at her. "Low blow."

"She's just jealous over her own lack of a love life."

Some murmurs of agreement broke out with Yang's statement from both Team CFVY and JNPR.

"I don't need to worry about a love life right now!" Weiss snapped.

"A sex life is important to a healthy lifestyle," Coco said knowingly. "Speaking of, next Friday I need the room. Fine with you, Yatsuhashi? Velvet?"

"Sure."

"Y-Yes."

"Wait, but what about Fox?" Ruby asked. She was leveled with looks while the mute teen cracked a small smile, hidden from her sight. "What? Isn't he going to have to leave the room?"

"Let me worry about my team, Ruby." Coco placated the younger girl with a pat on her knee. "You just enjoy the show."

" **So? D'sn't make me any less wrong!" Roshi huffed. "Yer bisesed, Boss Man."**

" **Biased." Jiraiya corrected him.**

" **Fuck you, I'm drunk."**

"Huh, that's a pretty good one." Coco admitted with an approved nod.

 **Jiraiya sighed and looked at the amused Fukasaku. "Can you tell me why we tolerate him? I forgot."**

" **Well, I am one of yer best infiltrators in the wold-wuld w-werld...world. Best in the world."**

"He shouldn't infiltrate a nursing home." Weiss scoffed.

"I don't know, I think those old grannies would go gaga for him." Yang said with a smirk. "He seems like a real hoot and holler type of guy."

"Holler like a monkey?" Blake asked dryly.

"Exactly!" Yang beamed. She threw her arm over Blake's shoulder. "This is why I'm glad you're my partner, Blake. You understand me."

" **After me and my second apprentice's wife." Jiraiya smirked and took another sip of his sake. Fukasaku chuckled and gratefully took the offered drink from his wife.**

" **Bisesed. Oh, and there's the whole fact that you can't write women for shit," Roshi said dryly, to which Jiraiya conceded. Shameful as it was, Jiraiya actually heavily relied on Roshi's descriptions of women more than he did his own artistic talent. Roshi was gifted with a silver tongue, able to compliment anyone, but had two left hands while being right-handed. So, when they first started this venture, Roshi would take Jiraiya's notes and create a verbal illustration, which Jiraiya would then translate onto the page and incorporate into the story.**

"Two perverts met and changed the world," Blake said with a long distant stare.

"And we salute them." Coco raised her hand in a mock salute.

"Amen." Blake agreed as she followed suit.

When she was sure no one was watching her, Velvet did a little salute as well.

" **Fair enough." Jiraiya sipped his sake again before he smirked. "You don't believe me. Challenge him."**

 **Roshi cracked an eye open mid drink and placed his mug to the counter.**

" **I'd kill him."**

" **Pretty sure that pretty girl's daddy will be aiming to do that, Roshi." Fukasaku chuckled.**

Yang's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

"Told you so!"

"Ruby, I will flush your cookie stash. Zip it."

"You're a monster!"

 **He rubbed a phantom pain on his shoulder. "Shima's papa certainly didn't like learning about our union prior to our union."**

" **And I have officially become impotent. T'anks for that, Pa." Roshi grumbled before he drank more of his mug's content. Once he finished he set the mug down and crossed his arms. "I was against yer initiation of that smug shit Branwen...And look how that turned out."**

"…Uncle Qrow? I knew he was a super spy!" Ruby gushed with glee.

"He's not the only Branwen, though," Yang said under her breath.

"What, Yang?" Ruby asked.

"He's not that smug," Yang said louder.

"Yeah, but he's awesome so it makes sense!"

" **It's nice to have someone on the inside of the Brotherhood, Roshi." Jiraiya pointed out. "And Branwen came to us, two birds with one stone."**

"A super duper spy!"

Yang palmed her face with a pained groan. She was never going to hear the end of this.

" **A smug fucker of a stone..."**

" **My, such colorful language is only shared for someone you really respect."**

" **Respect, yes.** _ **Like**_ **? Fuck no." Roshi spat at Fukasaku. He looked at Jiraiya. "I ain't sayin' he's not going to join us. I'm sayin' it's not right. He ain't ready, not for what we need to reveal to him. If he were younger-"**

" **Like your daughter was?" Jiraiya countered and Roshi's mouth clamped shut. "And you wonder why she doesn't want your grandson near you."**

Blake silently agreed. She liked Sun being sweet, not perverted. He had his moments, sure, but he was a seventeen-year-old guy. They all had their faults.

" **That's because you corrupted me after m' wife died."**

" **Oh, that was done** _ **long**_ **before your wife died, Roshi." Shima drawled. She walked up and rested an arm on the countertop, her purple eyes going to the white-haired man. "Jiraiya, speaking of wives long lost-"**

" **I haven't spoken to her in a** _ **long**_ **time, Ma." Jiraiya huffed. "She's busy with her apprentices and work...and, you know, the whole..."**

" **Yes, yes, well, she can't blame you for that forever," Shima said with a wave of her hand. She sighed and rested her cheek on her hand. "Though, I can't blame her much either...Minato-Boy and Kushina were the only family she had left."**

" **And Naruto was a painful reminder of it." Jiraiya mumbled, his finger tapping on the rim of his sake cup.**

" **...Oh, bleeding hearts the both of you–** _ **Fine**_ **! I'll support it." Roshi growled. He held a finger up. "But! He's gotta fight me, first. Will o' Fire 'gainst the Breathing Volcano."**

"So he has a semblance that has something to do with lava? That's unique," Pyrrha said with interest.

Jaune had a dry look on his face. "Lava, of course, yeah…why not?"

"Or smoke." Coco pointed out. "Or smog. Or just fire in general."

"Hm, that's true." Pyrrha nodded.

" **Deal!" Shima and Jiraiya agreed.**

 **Fukasaku shook his head, a smile on his face, as he began to assist his great-grandsons with cleaning the tavern. He glanced at a picture on the far wall of the tavern, far from the view of the restaurant patrons, where a young blue-eyed blond man had his arm around the shoulders of a redheaded woman, both seated at the far end of the bar, where plaques had been screwed into the stools they sat on. The green-eyed elder smiled as he reread the stools another time.**

 **This seat reserved for the late and great Minato Namikaze / Kushina Uzumaki.**

 **Friend to all, Family to few, Defender of Remnant**

"Whoa, that's pretty cool," Ruby said with sparkling eyes. "They were so great and had such great friends that they were held in such high esteem. I wanna be like that someday."

"Yeah, my late to-be in-laws are awesome," Yang said with a smug smirk.

 _ **Your son has grown into a fine young man, Minato-boy...I just wish you could've seen it,**_ **Fukasaku thought with a sad smile. He blinked and then laughed, drawing his wife and the two men's attention.**

" **Naruto-chan and his little girlfriend have run off to express their love for one another," he explained with a smile. "If I recall, Minato-boy and Kushina did the same thing...skipping dinner entirely."**

"Like parents, like child, it seems." Yang laughed.

" **Yes...Except Kushina was the one who pulled Minato out," Jiraiya said, grinning.**

"…Damn, I should have done that." The blonde pouted.

"I think he was more eager." Jaune pointed out.

"So? Girl's got to lead her man, right?"

"Hell yeah, girl." Coco cheered.

 **He looked over at the snickering Kichi. "Kichi!"**

" **Er, uh, yes? Lord Jiraiya?"**

" **Get your father out here with a round of Toad Oil all around!" Jiraiya grinned and tossed back the rest of his current drink, slamming the empty glass onto the counter upside down. "We're celebrating!"**

"Huzzah! Naruto bonked a virgin!" Nora whooped and then laughed.

"Nora," Ren sighed, his tired eyes looking even more tired.

 _ **Ohh...god why are my hips so sore?**_ **That was the first thing through Naruto's mind as soon as he unconsciously registered the sunlight shining down on his face, waking him from his slumber.**

Yang gave a suggestive smile, "Because I rode you like a stallion?"

"Found one!" Ruby cheered as she whipped out a barf bag. And then promptly used it.

"Ew! That's disgusting, Ruby!" Weiss blanched.

"Huh, guess there's a puke girl now." Jaune stated.

 **Slowly, he sat up and a groan escaped Naruto's lips as he did. His right arm and hand were asleep, so Naruto rubbed his eyes with his left. While he was trying to figure out the three main questions on his mind –** _ **Where am I? What happened last night? And why the hell are my hips so sore?**_ **– he sat on the side of the bed, the covers slipping off as he did so.**

 _ **...Okay, well,**_ **that** _ **answers one of my questions**_ **. Naruto thought as he pulled the blanket back over his waist to cover himself. Shifting his foot, Naruto grimaced at the feeling of something plastic and a bit sticky. A glance and yet another question was answered.**

 _ **Huh...That explains the weird line. That was too small and nearly broke–**_

"It _what_?" Yang asked, her features pale.

"It was too small, should have gone with the larger than average." Coco smirked at her. "Don't worry, judging by the glisten on the floor, he pulled out."

"Dodged that bullet." Yang sighed in relief and then pumped her fist in glee. "Score! My Bae's hung like a horse!"

"We don't know that-" Coco tried to cut in.

"Shush, Coco, I'm fantasizing about my Bae." Yang waved the older girl off.

" **Nng..." The groan to his right made Naruto look over his shoulder. With golden hair sprawled across the bed beneath her head, a sleeping girl lay. A smile worked its way across Naruto's face.**

" **And that answers all of my other questions." Naruto mumbled. He looked back down at the item that was too small and grimaced. "Damn, those are uncomfortable."**

" **Mm...Whis'r..." Yang mumbled, turning onto her side, one arm draped over the space he once occupied.**

 **Naruto watched her with a small smile. Last night he'd learned things about Yang – Hell, he learned things about** _ **himself**_ **– that he'd never expected to learn in a million years.**

Ruby ducked her head down again into her bag.

"Ruby, stop chucking your cookies!" Nora frowned at the girl. "You're ruining the afterglow!"

 **Some was, not bad, but different than what he'd expected. It wasn't exactly his first time with a virgin, but at least this time he made it easier since he had a slight idea of what to expect.**

 **Or so he thought.**

" **Damn, Yang," Naruto said softly as he rubbed the left side of his pelvis and winced. "We are keeping that...cowboy position on reserve."**

"Fucking knew it." Yang nodded.

"That you'd like that position?" Blake asked dryly.

"Duh." Yang smirked. "I get to ride a pony!"

Ruby dashed out of the room, vomiting as she did.

There was just too much for her right now.

 **Naruto stood up and rolled his right shoulder in an attempt to get the blood flowing correctly once more. Once he did that, he reached down and picked up the used prophylactic. The used item was promptly discarded into the nearest trash bin...after Naruto got his boxers hanging off of it. He nearly tripped over Yang's boots on his way to the shower.**

 _ **Warm water will loosen me up**_ **. Naruto grimaced and rubbed his sore back. For having a semblance that made his body twice as durable as the average man's, he was probably the best suited to handle Yang's use of her impressive strength in the bedroom.**

"I hear that…" Velvet mumbled. Coco gave her a grin that made the rabbit Faunus flush bright red.

 **If he didn't have that semblance, Naruto was certain that his back would be either dislocated or broken...likely the former, but still, he was impressively sore.**

 **As soon as the water was running, Naruto got in and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Ohh yeah...almost as good as sex..."**

 **The sound of running water was the first thing Yang heard when she started to wake up. Lilac eyes blinked open and a sleepy hand reached around the empty side of the bed. Once she could see more than blurry shapes, Yang frowned at being unable to find her boyfriend beside her. Last night was** _ **fucking amazing**_ **.**

"Amen sister! Now, give me details!" Yang demanded.

"Please, spare us." Weiss prayed.

 **Pun wholeheartedly intended.**

 _ **Damn, he did me good.**_

 **Yang grinned and bit on her bottom lip as she relived the night before in her mind. There was bound to be a whole lot of complaints at the front desk because of them. Yang rubbed her legs together as one of her other hands ran through her hair, and she bit harder onto her lip, her smile growing.**

 _ **Naruto did me**_ **real** _ **good**_ **.**

"...Okay, now I'm a little jealous." Coco muttered with a frown. She _wished_ her first time was as magical as this other Yang's was making it out to be.

 **Yang's eyes flashed red and, despite the soreness, started to get up from the bed. Her hair shone bright as she limped over towards the bathroom, stumbling for a moment over Naruto's sandals. The door was cracked open, which made it much easier for her to slip in. The door's click as it shut was covered by the sound of the water raining down on what she knew to be the rock hard body of her boyfriend.**

 **Yang drew the curtain and climbed in with impressive stealth. Her semblance dwindled away and she startled the occupant of the shower when she almost collapsed against him, pushing him against the wall as she did.**

"Someone's hungry for more." Coco said with an impressed look as she lowered her sunglasses. "Now that's some cardio."

"I love to exercise." Yang grinned.

Pyrrha flushed and looked over at Yang pleadingly. "Can we skip this?"

"Try it, and I'll break your face." Yang warned the Schnee heiress when she reached for the remote.

"...I thought you were sick of boy drama?" Weiss shot back.

"This is my _Bae_." Yang huffed. "It's different."

" **Yang what-the-?" Naruto's question was cut off as she grabbed his head and pulled him into a kiss. They parted and passionate lilac stared into confused, but kind blue.**

" **Good morning, Whisker Boy." Yang breathed as they stood in the shower together. Naruto blinked several times, bewildered and lost by the four words Yang chose to say.**

" **G-Good morning...?" he uttered back. Yang's lips were still in their wide smile as her hand reached down and grabbed him. Naruto squeaked, it was adorable really, and Yang's grin became frightening as her eyes flashed red.**

"I want you." Yang purred.

"Yang, those are rape eyes." Blake said in a low voice.

"Oh, I know."

" **Wake up."**

" **Yang, we're in the – Ohh...I see what you're getting at."**

 **An hour and a couple of real – and** _ **separate**_ **– showers later, and the blonde duo finally made it down to the lobby of the Stallion Inn.**

"Is it over?" Ruby asked weakly, wiping her mouth with a napkin as she walked back into the room and sat down.

"I think so." Weiss said as she started to soothingly rub the younger girl's back.

"Thank goodness."

 **Yang and Naruto were expecting to be met with glares and annoyed looks from the staff, but only received smiles and giggles from cleaning crews. Naruto, his arm around Yang's waist for her to lean against him and partially conceal her walking problem, furrowed his brow.**

" **I don't get it...With all the noise you made–"**

" _ **We**_ **made." Yang corrected him, a proud grin on her face. She poked him in the side. "** _ **You**_ **caused most of those noises, Whisker Boy."**

"Please, I have more self-control than that." Yang said haughtily with a hand on her chest.

"Yeah, okay." Her friends collectively rolled their eyes.

" **Yeah, well, uh...** _ **Anyway**_ **..." Naruto pointedly kept his gaze off of his girlfriend, his cheeks the lightest hint of red. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "You'd think they'd be a bit more...volatile."**

" **From what I hear, Naruto-boy, your little friend is the one they expected to be volatile."**

 **The two froze and turned to a short man seated in a blue chair with a newspaper in his hand. He lowered it and revealed his face, elderly and smiling in amusement. Naruto blinked and lifted a hand, pointing at the man.**

" **Hey, you're uh...you're Shima's husband. The drunk," he said. The man laughed and the couple shared a confused look.**

"Hello, Mister Drunk!" Nora waved at the screen.

" **Ah, I'm not a drunk, Naruto-boy." The man explained. He folded the paper up and set it to the side, getting to his feet with the aid of a wooden cane. He'd hobbled over to them and smiled up at the two. A hand was offered, up to the teens that were taller than him. "My name is Fukasaku Gama. I own the Mysterious Tree."**

" **Oh, uh, yeah." Naruto took the hand and shook it. "P-Pleased to meet you, sir."**

" **Well, this wouldn't be the official first time." Fukasaku chuckled and rested his hands on the top of his cane. "It's been too long, Naruto-boy."**

" **I...I don't understand." Naruto furrowed his brow.**

" **You will. In time." Fukasaku nodded. He tapped his cane on the ground and sighed. "And in advance...I am sorry I had to ruin your morning, but...tradition must be mandated."**

"What? Ruin it?!" Yang frowned deeply, her eyes flicking red, her hair growing hotter. "He'd better not!"

" **W-What?" Naruto asked. A sharp** _ **vft**_ **sound caught his attention and Naruto suddenly jerked. He slapped a hand to his neck, finding something there that wasn't supposed to be. Once he pulled the item from his neck and held it in his hand, he gaped. In his palm, was a dart. "What the...?"**

"Oh, no! They want to date rape my body pillow!"

"… _Seriously_?!" Weiss screamed at Yang.

"Why else would they want him?" Yang asked.

"...Secret organization?" Ruby suggested.

"Eat a cookie, Ruby."

Ruby looked at the cookies, and curled into a ball. Her tummy wasn't agreeing to do that right now.

 **There were five more** _ **vft**_ **s before Naruto finally started to fall. He heard Yang call his name once he hit the ground. As darkness encroached over his vision, he saw Yang fall next to him, her red eyes turned back into lilac as they unfocused. At least it was a lovely, if not worrying, sight he was blessed with before his vision went black.**

"Oh no! They want me for their ritualistic orgies, too!"

Weiss banged the back of her head on the couch and let out a groan.

" **DoN't wORry, sHe'll Be fiNe,** _ **bRat**_ **." A deep distorted voice tried to reassure him.**

 **For some reason, Naruto had a strong feeling he knew that voice.**

" **...ys, I think she's waking up!" A familiar, adored voice cheered as two lilac eyes fluttered awake.**

" **Ugh, Ruby, what have I told you about shouting?" Yang groaned and rubbed her head as she sat up slightly. She was quickly knocked back down by a flying hug courtesy of her adorkable little sister and a slobbery kiss on the cheek from Zwei, who was standing beside Yang's head.**

"I think I don't want to be tackled right after that, Rubes." Yang smirked at her little sister.

"But I was worried! Zwei was, too!"

"Well, okay, I'll let it pass. This time."

 **Yang gently shoved Zwei away before she roughly pushed Ruby off of her.**

" **Ow..." Ruby sat up from the ground with a lump on her head and tears in her eyes. "Yang, I was so worried! You didn't come back last night!"**

" **Ruby, she** _ **did**_ **say there was a chance of that happening." Blake drawled from her perch on Ruby's bunk behind the team leader. Pointedly, and notably, away from Zwei.**

Weiss gave Blake a look. "You could learn to get along with him."

" _Never_." The cat Faunus hissed.

"What about that time Weiss vacuumed?" Yang asked innocently.

"First of all, you swore to never speak of that!" Blake glared at her sheepishly grinning partner. "Secondly, those things are dangerous when overloaded with dust-!"

"And loud." Velvet agreed.

" **...Oh, yeah..." Ruby began to turn green. "Ew..."**

Ruby nodded with sadness. "I hear you sister."

" **It's natural, Ruby, stop being such a child," Weiss said with a huff. She leaned against her bed and looked down at Yang. "Though, I have to admit, I too wonder why Professor Goodwitch had brought you in unconscious..."**

" **Unconscious?" Yang mumbled, her eyes blinking. Ruby gasped.**

" **Right! That's right, you were totally out of it! Drooling and everything," she said, her face now back to the rosy moonlight pale shade it usually was. "What happened?!"**

" **...What happened, well Naruto and I were...Naruto! Oh, when I get my hands on that little troll..." Yang's eyes started to turn red but then drained back to lilac. She frowned in confusion. "What the – I can't feel my aura!"**

" **It's been suppressed," Blake said from her perch, a book on herbs in her hand. Cat-like eyes glanced up and met Yang's. "You were drugged...And based on your reaction, Naruto was, too."**

"…Wow, I didn't know there were drugs for that." Jaune said nervously.

"Well, some are used for tests and physicals and other emergencies, Jaune." Pyrrha said, "But it is mostly medical or military use since if everyone could get their hands on it, it would be bad."

"Like a bunch of cultists with sexy chainmail to put on my bae?!"

"Um, yes, Yang. That would be bad...I think."

" **But, Professor Goodwitch said not to worry. Why would she say that if Naruto was drugged?" Ruby asked. She cupped her chin and closed her eyes, humming in thought. Her silver eyes snapped open and sparkled. "It's a mystery! We can investigate-!"**

"To the Enigma Engine!" Ruby declared with a finger thrust in the air.

"No." The rest of Team RWBY flatly shot her down.

"Aw, you guys are mean! We even have a dog!"

" **She said it with a forced smile and reminded us that we're stuck in our dorms." Blake reminded her team leader with a sigh. She sent a pointed look at Yang. "Your successful escape put all students on dorm lockdown. Food's brought in, but we can't go out. There're Atlesian drones everywhere."**

" **...Uh, oops?" Yang grimaced. That was going to cost her some of her old friends. ...Eh, screw them. Her team and Naruto was all she needed. (Not to mention they didn't really stay in contact with her once the school year and team selection thing got started. Jerks.) She sighed and flopped back onto what she presumed to be Blake's bunk, Zwei jumped over her and went sniffing around the floor.**

" **Bathroom, Zwei!" Yang and Ruby shouted and the corgi disappeared into the tile-floored room. Blake arched a brow.**

" **...You're kidding me."**

" **Hey, he can use a can opener, remember?" Ruby pointed out.**

" **I'll believe that when I –" Blake was cut off by the sound of a toilet's flush. Zwei trotted out and Blake stared at him for a moment. "...Okay, so maybe he can use a can opener."**

"That is such a good doggie." Weiss cooed. "So smart!"

"Duh, we trained him after all." Ruby stuck her small chest out with pride.

"Dad trained him." Yang pointed out.

"We helped!"

"Yeah, like once."

"Details!"

 **Zwei barked happily at her and she glowered at him before returning to her book on herbs.**

" **So...you're officially the first of us to...do the deed, as it were," Weiss said, trying to appear nonchalant from where she stood. She had her gaze locked on the wall to her right, her arms crossed over her chest and a light flush on her face.**

"You want to know the goods," Yang said to Weiss with a grin. The heiress glared back at her and she waved her off. "Don't worry, Weiss, my other will be generous, just to make you jealous~!"

"...All of my hate."

" **Yeah, so-Oh, you want details?" Yang asked, a grin spreading across her face. Weiss' face blossomed into a full on blush, but she still kept her eyes averted. Blake closed her book. With it set aside, she turned to face Yang, an eager gleam in her eye.**

 **Ruby looked between her teammates before she started to turn green.**

" **No...Wait, you guys want to...?"**

" **Ruby, it's a little grown up gossip. If it's too much for you, put your headphones on." Blake advised. She wasn't going to lie, she didn't** _ **want**_ **to hear about Yang and Naruto's first time, but...she** _ **was**_ **a Cat Faunus. And Adam always said her curiosity got the better of her one time too many.**

"Aw, look at the curious pussy." Coco smiled while Blake gave her a heated look. "Come now kitten, it's cute."

"I'll show you cute…" Blake growled.

"Watch out, Coco. Kitty's got claws."

"Yang!"

" **Gross! Gross! Gross! Gross!" Ruby zipped around the room, searching for her headphones, before she found them and jumped up to what usually was Yang's bunk. Her headphones held over her ears and her music cranked up to the safest and loudest volume.**

Ruby whimpered. "Lucky…"

"You ran out of the room!" Weiss groaned.

"...I might have...puked on Goodwitch's shoes..."

"...It was nice knowing you," Jaune said with a sympathetic smile.

" **...So?" Blake pried.**

 **Yang grinned and sat up fully.**

" **Well, first, he took me to a nice little tavern just down the street from that accessory shop you like, Weiss."**

" **...ix darts! When's the last time someone needed six darts, Pops? C'mon, you've gotta admit, that's impressive!"**

" **Shut up, Kichi. He's waking up."**

" **Ugh, my head." Naruto groaned and pressed the cool palms of his hands to his temple. "It feels like the Pervy Sage just tossed me off a cliff again...and then kicked me in the face...and then the Old Hag hit me with a sucker punch..."**

" **Yep, that tends to happen." Naruto looked up at the sound of a familiar chuckle.**

" **...Pervy Sage?"**

 **Jiraiya grinned. "Hey, Brat, how was your night? You were safe, ri-OOF!"**

 **A firm and tightly balled fist buried itself into Jiraiya's stomach, successfully making the man double over. Jiraiya noted that it was easily the third hardest punch that had ever nailed him in the gut. The first and second belonged to his estranged teammate. The hand then removed itself from Jiraiya's stomach and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling Jiraiya face-to-face with his godson.**

"Oh, he's angry." Jaune said.

"Of course he'd be." Ren shook his head.

"I know, but damn, first thing he does is dish out a punch? At least snarl or growl in warning."

"Nah, the punch right off the bat is way better." Nora waved the blond off. "Catches them off guard."

 **Blue eyes slowly flickered to gold and back, and Naruto's teeth bared themselves with a vicious snarl.**

" **Where. Is. Yang."**

 _ **It was not a question, but it might has well have been.**_ **The writer cowering in the back of Jiraiya's mind noted. For good reason, too. The snarl was nearly identical to the one that the boy's mother made the morning after Minato's bachelor party. Er, well, his technically** _ **second**_ **bachelor party – Jiraiya wasn't invited to the first one, so he threw the second one.**

"That must have been a spectacular failure." Weiss said dryly.

 **That decision almost cost him his seat at the wedding. Oh, and his life, yeah, it almost cost him that, too.**

" **She's fine, Naruto." Jiraiya wheezed out.** _ **Huh, I've never realized how good air tastes.**_ **"She's back at Beacon. We just had to–"**

" **Who's 'we'?" Naruto interrupted, his eyes narrowed in discontent. His eyes were still flickering, and that alone made Jiraiya realize that** _ **maybe**_ **he should've waited until** _ **after**_ **they were back in Beacon before he drugged his apprentice.**

"Yeah, common courtesy and all." Coco agreed.

" **Easy, there, Naruto-boy." Naruto's attention snapped over to the elderly man from before, Fukasaku.**

 _ **Oh thank you God for the mercy you show me!**_ **Jiraiya smiled. With Fukasaku there, Naruto would surely release him and then they could calm the boy down-**

 **Naruto's hand wrapped around Jiraiya's throat.**

 **Tight.**

"God sends his middle finger." Weiss waved mockingly at the screen.

 _ **FUCK YOU GOD! FUCK YOU AND ANYONE ELSE LIKE YOU!**_ **Jiraiya mentally screamed while he physically choked. His first assumption upon meeting the boy five years ago was right: He's Kushina's son, just with Minato's face. Where the hell was all this strength when he was training the boy between ages thirteen and sixteen!?**

" _ **You**_ **. You're a dead man." Naruto growled as his eyes shone bright gold.**

"Dead men tell no tale, yarg!" Nora said with a pancake eye patch on her face.

"Nora, don't play with your food."

 **Fukasaku's small smile fell and he glared back at Naruto.**

 **Naruto felt his heart stop beating. No, wait, it was just beating so fast he couldn't feel it anymore. Sweat poured from his head like he'd been doused in it from a bucket. His spine either shriveled away to nothing, or slipped right out of his back, packed its bags and headed for the nearest air station. His bowels thankfully didn't empty themselves, but they did try to flee back into his stomach, as if the digestive acid would protect them.**

" **...Pa...Pa...!" Jiraiya gasped, pointing frantically at the tight grip around his throat. His face was starting to turn into a lovely, and impossible, blend of polka dots. Each dot was a different near-white color, and caused Kichi, huddled off to the side** _ **behind**_ **Fukasaku, to take a picture with his Scroll.**

"And that's going on Chirper." Ren said as he put his scroll away.

"I'm putting it in my scrap book." Velvet smiled as she lowered her camera.

" **Release him, Naruto-boy." Fukasaku ordered firmly. Before his name was uttered, Naruto's grip around his throat vanished. Jiraiya fell to his hands and knees. He greedily sucked in air and his skin swiftly returned to its normal rosy, sun-kissed tone.**

 **Naruto was as pale as Ruby, which, for someone as tanned as Naruto normally was, was pretty damn pale.**

"I'm not that pale." Ruby pouted.

"You could use some sun kid." Coco said. She cupped her chin. "I do know a good tanning salon."

"Nah, her skins very sensitive." Yang told the upper classman. "We have to get her special creams and soaps and everything."

"Yang!" Ruby whined, her cheeks red in embarrassment.

 **Thankfully, the feeling of utter** _ **fear**_ **that had encased him vanished once Fukasaku let up on his glare and smiled once more.**

" **As Jiraiya-boy said, Naruto-boy, your girlfriend is back at Beacon. Safe and sound, if not a bit tired from the drug." Fukasaku explained gently. "You're safe as well, just...in a location we cannot yet disclose."**

"Because of your secret society of spies!"

"Or ninjas," Blake said to Ruby's accusation.

"There is no such thing as a ninja village or whatever this is." Weiss said with a dismissive gesture of her hand. "It's just a small settlement that's been outside of the four kingdoms. Not the first of it's kind."

" **...Okay..." Naruto mumbled, still a bit out of it. He glanced at Jiraiya, who was now rubbing his neck, and then examined his surroundings. Trees and various plants of different greens surrounded him. The ground was coarse and hard, a quick glance showed the significant brown dirt in place of what was green carpet the last time he was conscious. A glance up and he saw the blue sky with slowly drifting clouds.**

" **Where...?" Naruto began as he tried to stand, but fell back to the ground. "Ow...Where are we?"**

" **We, Naruto-boy, are home.** _ **You**_ **." Fukasaku pressed the end of his wooden cane into his chest and Naruto felt his drained body become filled with energy once more. "Are currently three-hundred and forty seven miles away from Beacon."**

"…So, they carpool or what?" Jaune asked.

"They probably flew." Pyrrha told him.

"Or used ninja magic." Blake smirked.

"Not. A. Ninja." Weiss grit out.

" **...Okay, so, where are we?" Naruto asked again, now back on his feet and looking around curiously. Still only trees and plants. Thrilling.**

" **Follow me," Fukasaku said. He turned and walked out of the small clearing, disappearing between two bushes. Naruto quickly followed him and shielded his eyes with his hand as the full intensity of the sun greeted him. Once adjusted past the glare, and his natural body's aura shield filtered out the intense sunlight, Naruto felt his jaw pop open in awe. He was currently overlooking a large settlement with people dressed like...like...**

"No..." Weiss stiffened when the village came into view.

" **Ninjas..." He breathed.**

"No, no, no." Weiss muttered with widening eyes.

Blake smirked.

 **Dark clothes that resembled Jiraiya's attire covered every man, woman, Human and Faunus alike as they walked, trained, or ate together. Even the kids, though few there were, playing under the watch of adults had the clothes. He looked down at the sound of a chuckle, his eyes locked on Fukasaku.**

" **Welcome, Naruto-boy, to the home of the Wandering Defenders of Remnant, the Nomads, or as we were once called before The War, the Shinobi." Fukasaku smiled at him and then looked over the place he called home.**

"No!"

"Yes."

Weiss glared at Blake, "No, no this is not a thing!"

"Fear the ninja-tude."

"Nein!" Weiss smacked the couch. "Nein! Nein!"

" **Welcome...To Mount Myōboku."**

" **And you said I made it up!" Jiraiya huffed from behind. Naruto turned to look at him, the mark on his neck long gone, and the older man smiled widely. His thumb tapped the horned plate that protected his head.**

" **...Oh god, you're all deranged perverts, aren't you?" Naruto asked, horrified. Fukasaku laughed uproariously while Jiraiya's face planted into the ground.**

" **Lousy, no-good...And what exactly are you 'Whisker Boy'?" Jiraiya asked as he returned to his feet and glowered at his godson. "A saint?"**

" **No, but...I don't go peeking on women!"**

" **Not according to your juvenile report, which, mind you, still exists here in full detail."**

" **That doesn't count, you dragged me along under the guise of training and I had nothing better to do!" Naruto shouted, a finger pointed accusingly at the older man while his face turned bright red.**

"He liked it." Yang frowned. "It would be okay if he was doing it to me, but no one else."

"...You have problems, Yang."

"Blake, we _all_ have problems." Yatsuhashi pointed out. "We all willingly decided to go into an occupation where the chance for death was dangerously high."

"...Nicely said, Yatsuhashi." Blake nodded.

" **Uh-huh, a likely story!" Jiraiya returned the accusing point with his lips spread into a grin. "Admit it, you enjoyed it! You offered to go in my stead the day you were caught!"**

" **I was fourteen! Of course I enjoyed it! I stopped doing that once I realized that it doesn't get you laid!"**

" **Which was when?! On your sixteenth birthday?!"**

" **...A few months after – But that's beside the point!"**

 **Fukasaku continued to laugh as the two argued.**

"Well, that was fun!" Yang beamed while Weiss was looking defeated as she kept denying the reality of a village of hidden ninjas.

"It just can't be possible!"

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXVIII: The Toad's Prophecy**

* * *

"Prophecies? Like, world ending ones?!" Ruby gasped in excitement.

Weiss sighed. "Only you would get excite about the world possibly ending."

"But then I-er, _we_ can save the world!"

 **Kurama drummed his fingers on the table while he propped himself up on his elbow. Narrowed behind his sunglasses, his eyes were glued to the computer before him, which displayed lock screen of the CCTS internal systems menu. Now, what was a first year student of Beacon Academy doing trying to access what would be the core of Remnant's web of information flow? Well, he was trying to hack into it, obviously.**

"Felony!" Weiss called out.

"Not if he isn't caught." Blake retorted with a snort.

"How many times have you told yourself that?" Weiss asked with a smug smirk.

Blake was flabbergasted and could only look away in defeat.

 **The reason behind this was because of what Ruby had told him the night before, of the masked woman who broke into the Vale CCTS during the dance.**

 _ **Dammit Ruby...couldn't you tell me a bit more than "She was kneeling in front of a desk"?**_ **Kurama thought, a tad annoyed at the vague description of what the mysterious thief was doing.** _ **If I were a betting man, I'd say she was uploading a back door into the system. God, why is it that villains are so smart when their end game is usually something really,**_ **really** _ **dumb?**_

"Because they're bad guys! It's the rules!" Ruby nodded at her 'sagely' wisdom.

" **You look like you're having fun."**

 **Kurama glanced up and arched a brow.**

" **How the hell did you sneak out of curfew, Sun?" He asked.**

 **Sun grinned and fell into an exaggerated martial arts stance.**

" **I am a ninja! Fear my-"**

" **Ninja-tude, yeah, yeah..." Kurama rolled his eyes and looked back at the screen before him. Sun's shoulders slumped and he pouted at his fellow Faunus.**

Blake frowned. "You don't just stop short the line like that."

"Huh, I might have to change my opinion of him." Weiss said.

"Yes. The WeiKu is real." Yang grinned.

"...What-?"

"Just enjoy the fireworks when they go off, Weiss."

"I-You-What!?"

 **Kurama didn't even blink. "Be aware that I am the youngest of nine siblings, your wounded pout does nothing to me since I mastered it."**

"Wow, I wonder if he's as spoiled as Ruby."

"I am not spoiled!" Ruby argued with a whine. Yang threw a cookie at her, the little girl caught it with a gleeful squeak and nibbled happily on it like a chipmunk.

"Spoiled." Yang grinned at Ruby being ignorant of the world on account of sweets.

" **Worth a shot." Sun shrugged and turned the chair around before he sat down in it. "So...what 'cha doing?"**

" **Breaking several international laws very,** _ **very**_ **carefully." Kurama drawled. He sat up and tried another skeleton key that was swiftly and mercilessly denied. Quickly backtracking out of the failed attempt so he wouldn't be discovered by the system's security, Kurama returned to the lock screen and sighed. "Damn."**

" **This looks very devious." Sun grinned and his tail swayed mischievously. "Can I help?"**

" **Doubt it," Kurama said lowly. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat in thought for a moment. Feeling Sun's unwavering gaze on him, Kurama growled. "Don't you have a pussy that you want to pet?"**

"…" Blake flustered.

"Something to tell the class, Blake?"

"I will claw your face, Yang, shut it. Now."

"Alright, alright, don't have a hairball."

" **..." Sun, now with a healthy dusting of red across his cheeks, gained a dopey grin and his eyes glazed over slightly. A beat later and he shook the look off of his face. "I could ask you about a little rabbit you want to hop on."**

Velvet turned a healthy shade of red.

" **Vel and her team are on wall patrol. Got pulled by Ozpin to assist the teachers," Kurama said shortly. He decided that it wouldn't be wise to divulge to Sun that he and Velvet were in the midst of enjoying the thrill of first base before being rudely interrupted by the thankfully blind Fox.**

Coco punched Fox in the arm, earning a wince from the mute boy. "Fox, why did you have to ruin it for her!? She could have gotten a homerun!"

Fox shrugged haplessly.

"Well, just be mindful here if that were to happen." Coco huffed.

Fox just nodded.

 **Kurama's eye twitched slightly.** _ **Alistair may be blind, but he knew I was there...stupid smirking bastard. Note to self: find something on him and use it against him. Ex girlfriend maybe...**_

"Smart boy, but Fox doesn't have any ex's."

"How do you know that?" Pyrrha raised a brow.

"I got him really, really, _really_ drunk on a mission a few months back," Coco said with a coy smirk.

Fox grunted in annoyance.

" **Ah, that sucks." Sun's voice stirred Kurama from his vengeful plots. The monkey tailed Faunus looked around and leaned in. "So, word in the dorms is that one of Beacon's is the reason behind the lockdown. Any truth to that?"**

 _ **...Foiling the mystery girl can wait. I have gossip to spread**_ **. Kurama thought with an eager grin as he exited out of the program and cleared the computer's memory. He turned to Sun as the computer screen disappeared.**

" **Well, let's just say my fearless leader and his female duplicate had a very exhausting night last night."**

 **Sun's eyes gleamed and he grinned. "Really now?"**

" **Oh yes...In fact, the idiot still hasn't returned. But Yang did, and according to my source–"** _ **Ruby**_ **. "–She was brought back into the dorm, drugged out of her mind."**

" **...Whoa...You saying she was-?" Sun looked around again, and despite seeing no one that would overhear them, he leaned back in and whispered. "Date raped?"**

"It was consensual!" Yang snapped.

" **No, I don't think so." Kurama shook his head. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. "I think that someone got the drop on them, brought Yang back to Beacon purposefully and took the invincible idiot to do god knows what."**

" **They brought Yang back?" Sun rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, she is hot, but Naruto definitely has a nicer ass. On par with Blake's for sure."**

"…What?" Yang blinked.

"I think Sun might be…" Ren trailed off.

"Bi?" Coco said.

" **...Right, Naruto said you're probably bi-"**

" **Pansexual." Sun corrected.**

"Or Pan, okay." Coco shrugged.

Blake had a healthy glow to her cheeks, her eyes glazed over a tad.

Yang elbowed her. "Well, play your cards right and my other might think up some sexy foursome time~!"

Blake's nose started to bleed a little.

" **...Really?" Kurama blinked when his fellow Faunus nodded. "I didn't know that. Huh, good for you."**

" **Thank you." Sun smiled. "It's nice not to be judged."**

" **I'm an asshole, but not** _ **that**_ **big of an asshole." Kurama huffed. "Besides, I'm a bit racist, so I can't exactly say anything fairly."**

" **At least you're honest." Sun chuckled. "So...Theories on who drugged the little dude?"**

" **Who else?" Kurama smirked. "The Perverted Old Toad hasn't been seen since yesterday afternoon."**

" **...Yeah, I'd buy that."**

" **Spread the word?"**

" **Gladly!"**

"Wow, they can be evil together." Ruby whistled lowly.

"Joy." Weiss said, her eyes looking tired at the mere thought of the two hanging out together like that.

" **I have the sudden urge to strangle Kurama." Jiraiya mused as he and Naruto, the latter was still cooling off from their earlier argument, followed Fukasaku through the hidden settlement on Mount Myōboku.**

" **Yeah, that happens from time to time," Naruto said sourly.**

"What with the black mail, and the gossip, and the hacking - Oh, you know what I mean." Jaune waved his hand off in a comedic fashion.

"What was that, Jaune?" Nora asked him.

"Comedy!"

"No. Never again. Or you sit in a corner."

"But-!"

"In a corner!" the pink wearing girl threatened.

 **He his hands thrust firmly into his jean pockets while he looked around at the various people he walked by. Naruto arched a golden brow in confusion when he noticed that many of the adults would stare at him and mumble among themselves as he walked by. What he could hear were the words 'Fourth's Son' and 'Sage'.**

 **...The hell was** _ **that**_ **supposed to mean?**

" **Ah, we're finally here." Fukasaku's voice drew Naruto's attention back to the small elderly man as a shadow fell over them. Looking up, Naruto's mouth fell open at the building that they approached. Several stories tall and made from what looked like very old stone, was a pyramid that was covered in vines, grass and various other flora that hid itself from Naruto on his first view of the village.**

"Ninja village."

"Shouldn't you be having your smutty daydream?" Weiss glowered at Blake.

The cat Faunus promptly did just that.

 **Carved on two sides of the entryway were two strange quadrupeds, and if Naruto didn't know any better, he'd say they were –**

" **They're toads." Jiraiya affirmed the thought, a small smile on his face. The perverted sage placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder as they stood at the base of the staircase. "There's a reason I'm called the 'Toad Sage', Naruto."**

" **I'll be damned. And here I thought it was because you were so ugly."**

 **Jiraiya cuffed Naruto upside the head for his cheek.**

" **Smug little...C'mon, before I change my mind."**

 **While he rubbed his head and snickered, Naruto followed his godfather and Fukasaku up the steps. At the top of the temple's steps, they entered into what Naruto presumed to be the main room. Alit by torches and lanterns, the room had a mystical and ancient feel to it. A large circular pit with brown liquid of unknown origin was centered before a large statue of a massive toad. The toad statue sat on a throne made from rock, atop its head was a triangular hat, and around its neck was a beaded necklace, holding a vibrant purple orb that had a symbol carved in it.**

" **This is Gamamaru, the Great Toad Sage," Fukasaku said as he moved to stand beside Naruto. "Many, many centuries ago, it was said that he foresaw a 'grand battle that would encase the entire world'.**

"Called it!" Ruby beamed. Weiss slapped the back of her head.

"That's not a good thing, stupid!"

"Owie!"

 **He said that 'peace would only come once four stood together on a vital island.'"**

" **...The War ended on Vytal Island..." Naruto mumbled. Everyone knew that, it was common knowledge and the reason why the festival was named such.**

" **That prophecy was given at least one hundred years before the war even began." Jiraiya continued. He turned to a far wall, where there were ancient carvings depicting many sights. "And Gamamaru gave more prophecies before he passed. Not all came to be, Gamamaru had at least thirty different world ending scenarios that never saw daylight, but the ones that did had one similarity between them: the number four."**

"Like, the number of our teams?" Ruby guessed.

"Possibly." Pyrrha admitted with a curious look in her eyes.

" **...Okay...?" Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "So four is a magic number. What's your point?"**

" **Think of the tales you heard growing up, Naruto-boy." Fukasaku chided. "There are a few that hold far greater truths than most would anticipate."**

" **Eh, I stopped thinking about Fairy Tales a long time ago." Naruto shrugged.**

" **Typical teenager...I told you he was too old for the stories!" Naruto looked over to the left as a previously hidden man stepped from the shadows. The man gave Naruto an unimpressed once over and his red tail flicked at him. The man looked at Jiraiya. "He looks just about as impressive as the last apprentice you brought here, only far more stupid."**

"Hey! Just because he's blond, don't go calling him stupid." Jaune glared and Yang joined him.

 **Naruto's eye twitched in irritation. "Who are you calling stupid, you ol' geezer?"**

" **You, dummy. Who else would I be calling stupid?"**

"The pervert?" Weiss asked hopefully.

"I think she needs to get laid to loosen up." Coco whispered to Blake.

"I heard that!"

"Oh, well, I know a few guys and/or girls for a quick hook up. You interested?"

"NO!"

"Your loss." Coco shrugged.

" **Roshi, don't provoke him." Jiraiya sighed. He walked back and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Brat, calm down. This is Roshi Wukong."**

" **...You're Sun's grandfather?" Naruto gave the older man a once over and then shook his head. "I don't see it."**

" **Yeah, and you don't look anything like yer grandfather either, punk." Roshi snorted back. He glanced at Fukasaku and Jiraiya. "Why are you wasting your time with this dumbass?"**

"Hey!" Yang glared at the screen. "That's _my_ dumbass you're talking about!"

"So you're admitting he's dumb?" Jaune asked.

"Don't be a butt, PJ."

"Don't call me that!" the blond boy wailed.

" **We have to properly explain why we're here, Roshi-boy." Fukasaku huffed. "Tradition mandates that we offer him the choice first. Didn't we do the same for you?"**

" **...Yeah, though when you offered it to me, I was drunk." Roshi grumbled. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Fine, but hurry it up. I got a place t' be so I'd sooner get the dumbass' arse-kickin' over with."**

" **Ass-kick-?** _ **I'll**_ **kick** _ **your**_ **ass, you old bastard, I don't care whose grandfather you are!" Naruto snapped with a glare locked on the older monkey Faunus.**

 **Roshi glared back at him. "You talk the talk, boy, but can ya walk the walk?"**

" **Didn't know the fashion show was in to-Mmph!" Naruto's retort was cut off by Jiraiya when he clapped a firm hand over his godson's mouth.**

" **Roshi, stop riling him up!" The Toad Sage snarled at the Faunus. Roshi merely smirked at the blond, who glared back with golden eyes, before a swift smack to the head made him stumble forward. Jiraiya, whose own eyes now glowed gold, glared at his godson. Jiraiya put his foot down, literally, and cracks formed beneath it while both Roshi and Naruto looked at him. "This is a sacred place, I will** _ **not**_ **let either of you defile it with your egos!"**

"Put your dicks away!" Coco raised a fist. "There are children about!"

" **Alright, alright, I'm sorry." Roshi apologized, his hands raised halfheartedly in an effort to placate the enraged sage. Jiraiya looked at his godson, who rubbed his head with a grimace on his face.**

" **Yeah, fine...but after-"**

" **Boy, I** _ **will**_ **skin you alive." Jiraiya warned firmly.**

" **...So, this Gamamaru guy had some prophecies that were like fairy tales, right?" Naruto asked, looking away from his godfather and back at an amused Fukasaku. He'd pushed his luck too far and though he didn't show it often, Jiraiya was** _ **far**_ **stronger than Naruto was. A memory of a battle he witnessed between his godfather and his godfather's estranged teammate made him shiver. There was a reason that some parts of the human body that weren't supposed to be able to bend in certain ways.**

" **Indeed." Fukasaku went to the same wall that Jiraiya stood beside. He pointed at several crude carvings. "The Story of the Seasons, the Tale of Two Brothers, The Wrathful Reaper, and The Princely Pauper...these four fairy tales have been told for decades."**

" **...Wait, but, only the Story of the Seasons has four characters, the four sisters.**

"That's my favorite one." Ruby gushed.

Pyrrha nodded, "As it is for me as well, Ruby."

"Wouldn't it be cool if they were real?!"

"That's just being silly, Ruby." Weiss denied her.

Ruby whined, it would be awesome if they were real.

 **The others only have one or two," Naruto said. "Doesn't that go against the whole magic number you were speaking of before?"**

" **You're catching on, Naruto-Boy," Fukasaku said with a smile. He tapped his cane on the ground. "True, the tales have less than four focuses, but here, it would be that the stories themselves add to four. I never said they were told separately in Gamamaru's Great Prophecy."**

" **Great Prophecy?" Naruto frowned. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Fate's a load of crap. We make our own destinies."**

" **Perhaps," Fukasaku said with a nod. "Perhaps prophecies just happen along because they are foretold, with unconscious decision enabling their completion. However, let us pretend that we're all under the snare and whim of Fate for a brief moment."**

"Boo! I demand my free will back!" Nora cried out in protest.

 **Naruto grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. "...Fine."**

" **Considering we have no control, that our actions and future have been predetermined by an outside force, Gamamaru has foreseen another catastrophe that has yet to rear its head." Fukasaku gripped his cane tightly and his eyes hardened. "One day, Gamamaru awoke, his heart racing, and spoke to his nearest chronicler: '** _ **A danger comes to Remnant, one so great that not even the Kings will be able to stop it. The sunlight will turn the clouds red and a great fungus will spread across the land. A torch must be lit by the wasteland's storm. Four will stand against the war, but a hero must fall to order restore. To stop the spread, cut off the head, for it is there that hatred is bred. Tell the Seasons, the Brothers, the Pauper, and the Sage; Unity is the only way to prevent the Grimm Age.'**_ **"**

"Well, that just got really dark and scary," Jaune laughed awkwardly. "Anyone else?"

"Oh, totally." "I hear that." "Grimm age? Geez!" "I'll get the weed killer!"

Jaune nodded, "Glad I'm not alone."

" **Fungus...red cloud – The Fourth War." Naruto balled his hands into fists. The connection was clear, there was no mistaking what the color and shape were symbolic of. "He knew they were coming."**

" **Indeed he did." Fukasaku sighed. "And unfortunately, the rise of the White Fang's acts as well as a new threat our allies the Brotherhood of Remnant has deemed the greater evil blinds the world to the harm that the Fourth War will bring. Though I fear that to merely say the Fourth War is the great threat would be untrue. All three of these variables are threats to the peace of today."**

" **Okay, so how do I fit into this 'prophecy'?" Naruto asked, a frown on his face as he folded his arms over his chest.**

" **We believe you're meant to be the Sage, brat." Jiraiya informed him.**

"Yes!" Yang cheered, and grinned at her friends. "I'm dating a Sage."

"So, you're into old men that live in the mountains, eat nuts, and talk to squirrels?"

"…Cut a little deeper, Blake."

"I think that's a hermit." Velvet whispered to Blake.

"Shh, I'm teasing her."

" **...No seriously, how do I fit in?" Naruto asked. Roshi laughed at the reaction while Fukasaku and Jiraiya exchanged amused smiles. Naruto looked between them. "What? Oh c'mon, I don't want to be a sage! I have a girlfriend!"**

" **And I a wife, and he's a lecher." Fukasaku added, throwing a thumb over at Jiraiya, who squawked.**

" **I'm** _ **not**_ **a simple lecher!" Jiraiya put his fists on his hips and puffed out his chest. "I'm a** _ **super**_ **pervert!"**

"Meh, I'd laugh if he said super lecher." Yatsuhashi confessed.

" **Represent, brother!" Roshi cheered with a fist raised proudly.**

"Burn them at the stake." Weiss said with a cold look on her face.

"Sadie Weiss is out on the prowl!"

"I am not a sadist!" Weiss told Yang sternly.

"But we love that part of you, Weiss-y."

"Don't call me that, or Sadie!"

" **...Can I go back to Beacon now?" Naruto asked Fukasaku, who sighed.**

" **No, Naruto-boy," he said. "Regardless of whether you believe the Great Prophecy or not, our original intention was to bring you here to teach you the ways of what you could call 'Sage Aura'."**

" **...Did you just make that up, because it sounds like you just made that up." Naruto scrutinized the old man with a look.**

"That sounds like something out of a comic book," Ruby narrowed her eyes. "I approve."

"Of course you would with your talent of silly nicknames." Weiss told her.

"They are not silly!"

"No one is worse than you." Weiss said dryly.

" **I am not the one who named it such." Fukasaku sent a smirk to Jiraiya, who huffed and turned away.**

" **Well, that's pretty much what it is," Jiraiya said under his breath. He turned and frowned back at the old man. "Besides, I was like ten when I started to learn it, Pa. Sayenjutsu or whatever sounds stupid."**

" _ **Sen**_ **jutsu, Jiraiya,** _ **Sen**_ **jutsu." Fukasaku grumbled. "It is of the old language and translates to Art of Sage Techniques."**

" **...Why not just call it that then?" Naruto asked.**

" **...I take it back, the punk's not a complete dumbass after all."**

" **You wanna go, Monkey Man!?"**

" **Enough!" Fukasaku interjected, his cane firmly tapped into the ground and the room filled with power. Naruto was driven to his hands and knees whereas Roshi dropped only down to one knee. Jiraiya looked a bit slouched, but managed to remain upright. Though, with a second glance, Naruto saw that Jiraiya's nose had enlarged and his eyes shrank slightly.**

"That is a big bulbous."

Blake slapped her face at Yang's innuendo.

" **Dammit, Pa, you nearly snapped my back!" Jiraiya growled as he slowly righted himself.**

 **Fukasaku huffed and glared at him. "If you'd have managed to finish your training in the proper manner when you were younger, drawing on Remnant's natural energy wouldn't be such a hassle for you!"**

 _ **Wha...I can't...I can't move...**_ **Naruto thought as he tried to bring his semblance up. His body and hair began to shine brightly, but no matter how much effort he put into it, he could not rise back to his feet. In fact, he was actually slowly getting closer to the ground. It was like the weight of the sun was on his back.**

"Man, talk about feeling the burn."

"Good one, Jaune." Yang said with a resigned sigh.

Jaune pumped his fist at his little victory.

" **M-Master F-Fukasaku...We'll stop! Please...Mercy!" Roshi groaned from his place on the ground.**

 **Fukasaku sighed sharply through his nose before the weight suddenly vanished. Naruto accidently launched himself into the ceiling and Roshi rose up to fast, causing him to stumble. Naruto fell courtesy of gravity and landed with a grunt on his face.**

" **...Not cool..." He groaned. With a hand on his now sore nose, the whiskered blond looked at Fukasaku. "What the hell was that?"**

" **That, Naruto-boy, was the power of a Sage." Fukasaku explained simply. He smiled. "Do you recall when you first awoke, unable to stand or move at all due to the effects of the drug?"**

" **...Yeah? Sort of..." Naruto mumbled. "You tapped me with your cane and...it vanished..."**

"Wait, he'll be a healing tank now?" Ren said, "That's a little broken."

"And useful." Nora chimed in.

"And he could've been out of the tournament!" Jaune groaned.

Unnoticed by the others in the room, Pyrrha had gained a bit of a giddy look in her eyes.

" **I manipulated a small amount of Remnant's natural energy into my aura and then transferred it into your body. It purged your cells of the toxin and relaxed your soul. You, momentarily, took in a sample of 'Sage Aura'." Fukasaku explained.**

" **...One more time?" Naruto asked.**

" **Think of it like this, Brat." Jiraiya cut in. He gestured to the room. "What in this room has energy in it?"**

" **Just us, right? We've all got aura." Naruto mumbled.**

" **Wrong!" Jiraiya grinned. He pointed to the torches. "Fire has energy, torches that hold the fire have energy, the mountainside this room is carved out of has energy, grass, the oils, the gem on the statue's neck, everything in this room has some sort of energy powering it. Some call it magic, others may simplify it as aura, but when you get down to it, it's just that respective thing's natural energy."**

"So," Ruby awed at the cookie in her hand, "This holds energy?"

"Uh, I guess so." Yang shrugged.

"We need to construct a cookie generator and declare it a renewable energy source! We'll be rich!"

"Oh no…" Weiss groaned, her hand covering her eyes.

"I could buy that pony and find my stallion!" Yang agreed with this line of thinking and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Go sis!"

"...Wait, you want a pony _and_ a stallion?"

"Just watch the show, Ruby."

" **...Okay, so everything has natural energy." Naruto nodded. He frowned. "But how does that explain-?"**

" **Hold on, he hasn't even agreed to learn it yet," Roshi said swiftly and with a frown on his face. "Not to mention I'm still in the room."**

" **Yes, but you know about it already," Jiraiya said.**

" **No, no, he's right." Fukasaku nodded. "Only Sages and Apprentices may learn of Senjutsu. Naruto-boy has not accepted the offer, so he may not learn."**

" **What, seriously? You're going to dangle that in front of me and leave me hanging!?" Naruto asked, shocked at the turn of events. "Come on, there has to be some way to let you teach me-!"**

" **No, Naruto. They're right." Jiraiya sighed. He folded his arms over his chest. "You may only learn once you agree to the training."**

"And pledge celibacy!" Blake said with a smirk.

"That's _not_ funny." Yang hissed.

"I laughed." Weiss snickered.

"Well, I didn't!"

" **...I don't have to give up any worldly possessions?" Naruto asked, skeptically.**

" **Nope." Jiraiya shook his head, grinning madly.**

Yang sighed in relief. "Good, no celibacy."

" **How long does it take?"**

" **It depends on how long** _ **you**_ **take." Fukasaku elaborated. "There is no set time, and we will teach you for days straight. You will grow spiritually. This is not something that can be rushed."**

" **What about school?" Naruto asked, frowning. "Atlas has the whole place locked down after the Breach–"**

" **And they're stuck in their dorms after your night out." Jiraiya waggled his brows and grinned. Two thumbs were raised. "By the way, congrats on no longer being a virgin in my eyes!"**

" **...Oh, god, you didn't-!?"**

" **Worry not, Naruto-boy," Fukasaku interrupted with a smile. "My wife prevented that from happening."**

"La-la-la-la-la~!" Ruby sang, trying to protect her young innocent mind from her vulgar sister's actions.

" **Which, again, I say is bullshit." Jiraiya pouted. "The way that girl was limping down the stairs, practically hanging off of him, oh, I bet it was perfect for my series!"**

" **Yang's off limits!" Naruto hissed, his face red as he pushed the memories** _ **way**_ **back. He absentmindedly rubbed the phantom pain on the side of his hips from how hard Yang's legs wrapped around them.**

"I use a thigh master, sue me!" Yang groaned.

"That's some leg strength, girl." Coco praised with a nod.

" **That's fine and dandy and all, but can we get down to business?" Roshi asked irritably. He tapped his foot and threw his thumb towards the door. "I have somewhere to be, so make a choice, Punk-ass."**

 **Naruto folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, thinking about it. On one hand, he'd be away from his team, friends and his girlfriend for an unknown amount of time. On the other hand, he'd learn something new that he could keep in reserves for the Vytal Festival** _ **or**_ **use mercilessly on the Fourth War.**

"That a tough choice." Blake admitted.

"Should we be worried if you are offered ultimate power?"

"No, Weiss."

"Good."

 _ **...Damn my murderboner for the Fourth War. Why's it gotta be so hard?**_ **Naruto internally groaned, dreading how his friends, let alone Yang, would react to this. Naruto sighed and opened his eyes.**

" **All right. I'll do it."**

Yang made a noise of disapproval.

"But Yang, he'll have super powers of nature!" Ruby told her.

"Yeah, but, no cuddling for so long…"

"I got this." Coco smirked as she turned to her younger classman. "He'll be stronger, thus, be able to... well, you do the math."

Yang gained a dopey smile and her eyelids drooped. "Okay, I agree."

" **Great! Now, c'mon ya little smartass." Roshi grumbled as he stormed past and grabbed Naruto by the top of his head in a claw-like hold. The whiskered blond was dragged outside by the older Faunus, protesting along the way.**

 **Jiraiya smirked and looked at Fukasaku. "Told you he'd do it."**

" **Indeed. Now, I believe we have a show starting."**

" **Oh yeah...this is going to be good."**

 **Naruto stood across from Sun's grandfather, fists raised and at the ready, while Roshi kept his arms crossed and his tail swayed from one side to the next. Around them was a small crowd of people, several small children on taller parents or siblings' shoulders, each muttering under their breath or pointing at Naruto and/or Roshi. Between the two, Jiraiya stood with his hands on his hips and a grin on his face.**

" **All right!" He brought his hands together in a clap and rubbed them. "Let's get this started. There's one rule to this fight and that rule is very simple: No Fatalities. Are we clear?"**

" **As if he'd be able to." Roshi chuckled.**

 **Naruto's eye twitched. "Oh, I'm so tempted to break that rule!"**

"I don't know, ol' Roshi looks like he's going to pull the old man one hit KO." Yatsuhashi stated.

Yang scoffed, "Please, Naruto can so get a few shots in. He's not a pushover."

" **Good! You'll need to be to beat me, Punk-ass."**

" **Fighters at the ready...Begin!" Jiraiya jumped away and landed on a nearby tree branch, which had a bowl of snacks set on the limb. The audience followed his example, moving to higher ground to watch the fight.**

 **Ignoring the spectator's odd decision, Naruto kept his arms up and glared at the older man. He wasn't going to get hotheaded, not over this. He'd let the unknown variable make the first move. Naruto was ready to bring his semblance up at a moment's notice.**

" **Not going to go for the first punch?" Roshi asked with a smirk. Naruto growled.**

" **I don't need your handicaps!" he shot back.**

" **Hm...Yeah you do." Roshi smirked.**

"I think he just made his mistake." Ren drawled.

 **He closed his eyes and chuckled. When the eyes snapped open, molten red had replaced black orbs. Slowly, Roshi's entire body began to burn, and the ground beneath his feet began to burn. Roshi laughed madly as he became a being of lava.**

"That's a Semblance, right?" Jaune asked.

"I believe so." Pyrrha nodded.

"So, some people can turn into elements? Huh, really got to look into some Dust." The blond frowned.

" **You should've taken my offer when you had the chance, boy!" he cried out. Roshi cupped his hands together and a small ball formed between his palms. "Let's see how good you are at dodging!"**

 **Naruto, who was initially gaping at the semblance displayed to him, had to dive out of the way of the ball of lava that was thrown at him. The lone tree that stood behind Naruto quickly burned at the impact and teetered to the side. The blond watched it fall and then snapped his head back to Roshi, whose grin was barely perceivable through the lava-like skin he'd obtained.**

" **Bet'cha didn't see that coming, did ya?"**

"I don't think any of us did." Nora chimed in.

 _ **Nope! Didn't see that coming at all!**_ **Naruto silently agreed as he let his semblance rise up to the eighth degree. He got back to his feet and rushed at the man of lava. In hindsight, it wasn't a brilliant plan. Heck, he didn't even have a plan. Then again, that's how he rolled nine times out of ten.**

" **All right, Punk, you're good, but I'm still not impressed." Roshi grinned widely and spread his legs in a crouch. He cupped his hands at his side. The bar across his face burned a bright red as his eyes narrowed. Naruto pumped more aura through his body, taking his semblance up to the tenth degree, so he could stop the older fighter before he finished whatever he was up to. He brought a fist back in preparation to punch, only for his momentum to be halted by Roshi's now outstretched hands, the bottom of each palm vertically connected, that slapped into his torso.**

"He made a no-no touch." Nora said.

"Stranger danger!" Ruby cried out in instinct.

"Dammit, Nora, now she'll never shut up." Yang sighed since Ruby had an episode with stranger danger once or twice.

Damn cookie addiction.

" **Let's see you take the brunt of my devastating power!" Roshi cackled. He pushed his hands out and the aura ripped through Naruto's shirt. A yell of exertion escaped the older Faunus' lips. "Ha!"**

 **A bright flash of red aura filled the clearing. Naruto's eyes shot wide and a scream escaped his lips as every nerve in his body at once relayed one word to his brain:** _ **PAIN**_ **! The blond screamed himself hoarse and could see only bright white for a while despite the fact he knew that the attack had come to a stop. He stayed on his feet, unable to see, hear, or feel anything outside of pain. Then, once more, Naruto succumbed to blissful, welcomed embrace of darkness.**

"Wow, one hit."

"Shut up, Yatsuhashi." Yang pouted. She expected a little more from her Bae.

"Called it."

"Ren, don't make me hit you with another turkey!"

 **Roshi let his semblance dwindle away and cracked his neck. He stared at the still standing form of Jiraiya's godson and let out an impressed hum. A finger extended and pushed against the glowing blond's forehead. The boy fell flat to his back and hit the ground with a small thud.**

"Ha! He was still standing!" Yang grinned but winced once Naruto hit the ground. "Ooh, that's gotta smart."

" **Humph, now that's an unfair semblance if I saw one." Roshi mused. He let his hands fall behind his back and tilted his head. The punk appeared that he was mostly unharmed thanks to his semblance, but Roshi's aura attack bypassed the exterior and delivered ruthless internal damage.**

" **Like you're one to talk." Jiraiya muttered as he jumped down and landed beside his godson. He glared up at the Faunus. "Was that necessary?"**

 **Roshi pursed his lips, tilted his head and looked up. He looked back at Jiraiya with a cheeky grin and nodded.**

" **...You're a dick."**

" **And you're an arse."**

"And together, you are of one mind and body!" Nora clapped her hand together, and bowed her head, "For the Perverts!"

"Nora, no. J-just no." Ren chided her and shook his head.

" **Don't you have an interrogation to conduct?" Jiraiya's question made Roshi scoff and roll his eyes.**

" **Fine, fine..." He turned to walk away but stopped and looked back. "He's not bad. Could use some more work in the tactical department."**

" **...And?"**

" **And he's a glutton for punishment." Roshi noted. He smirked. "Little bastard didn't even have the decency to fall down once he was unconscious."**

" **Yeah, he gets that from his parents." Jiraiya chuckled as he picked Naruto's unconscious body up and threw him over his shoulder. "Well, I should take him back to Beacon, let him rest up for a bit before we do any serious Sage training. Not to mention there's that lead we've got to follow up on."**

" **Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll go make sure our stool pigeon is telling the truth. You get him back to Ozzy's little castle," Roshi said with a smirk. His tail swished. "Let me know when the training begins. I want a front row seat."**

"I'll bring the popcorn!" Ruby smiled, getting shoved by Yang.

"I guess I should get the camera."

"Blake, no selling shots of my bae."

"…I want side income."

"Get your own bae!"

" **You'll be the second to know." Jiraiya chuckled before he walked over to a marked wall and a red and black portal appeared before him. The old sage disappeared with his godson/apprentice over his shoulder, and Roshi shook his head.**

" **Things are certainly starting to get very interesting..." the monkey-tailed Faunus mused. He chuckled and began to walk over towards a small hut that had two guards posted outside the door. "Very interesting indeed."**

"Most interesting." Coco cupped her chin.

"Evilly interesting." Ruby agreed with a twirl of her milk mustache.

"Indubitably!" Nora nodded a stroke of her pancake beard.

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXIX: Broken**

* * *

"Are you better now?" Blake asked the grumbling heiress.

"As good as I'll ever be knowing that this nonsense exists." Weiss huffed.

"Stop. Dissin'. Bae!" Yang frowned at the white haired girl.

"He's _fictional_!"

"Shut up!"

"Ladies, if you don't mind?" Coco frowned at the two younger girls. They turned away from each other, but quieted down.

 _ **Beacon Academy has some of the latest available worldwide technology within its walls. Most of which, of course, focused primarily on keeping the test Grimm within their pens or to assist teachers with educating their students. However, the really impressive things went to the Academy's medical wing to assist with mending severely broken bones or sealing gashes that were too deep for an individual's aura to heal. Medical technology in a Huntsmen/Huntresses Academy was among the most expensive and most effective technology that existed on Remnant today.**_

" **Of course, that technology is** _ **useless**_ **when it comes to keeping a ticking time bomb locked in a hospital room," Sasuke said under his breath as Haku finished reading a pamphlet for the school's medical ward.**

"At least we have good health care in our profession." Yang nodded.

"True, aura doesn't heal everything." Pyrrha agreed.

"...I _really_ need to find some beginner's books. I thought it did." Jaune muttered.

 **They along with Kurama – who was currently checking them in for visitation – were here to check on their "dumbass of a leader" who went and got kidnapped by his perverted godfather after he went on an overnight date with his girlfriend.**

 **It was the real juicy speculation about** _ **why**_ **the godfather kidnapped him that spread so fast. Some believed that Jiraiya wanted a 'personal interview' with the speculated new focus of an erotica series, a rumor that was started by the spiteful Sun for hitting on his date at the dance.**

"Aw, isn't that sweet of him?"

"Shut up, Yang," Blake said with a pout and pinked cheeks.

 **Others were more prone to believe Kurama's wild tale of some strange ritual to officially declare Naruto as a 'man' in the eyes of Vacuo – Sasuke was rather irked this rumor was even started, considering Vacuo didn't** _ **have**_ **a set religion or way, since it was the** _ **Wasteland**_ **of the world.**

 **Kurama, on the other hand, thought it was a gas. The Faunus in question strolled over to them with a small frown on his face.**

" **So, good news, the idiot's internal systems are stable and he can be out of here by tomorrow at the latest." Kurama began.**

" **...And the bad news?" Sasuke asked. He had a bad feeling about this.**

" **The orderlies can't find him."**

"What?" Yang frowned.

"I think he's missing." Ruby gasped.

"Wow, Rubes, couldn't figure _that_ out."

"It's okay, Yang. That's what I'm...Hey!" Ruby pouted at her smirking sister.

" **...How do you lose someone that's hopped up on painkillers?" Haku asked. There was a beat of silence. "He** _ **is**_ **hopped up on painkillers isn't he? Jiraiya said-"**

" **Jiraiya says a lot of things." Kurama and Sasuke drawled together. They shared an annoyed look with one another. "Don't do that. Quit it! ...Okay, now it's getting-AHA! Damn."**

"Aww, that's cute." Coco snickered and Velvet giggled. Fox nudged Coco and showed her a quick gesture that made her grin widely. Coco turned to the amused bunny-eared Faunus with a smile. "Aren't you lucky? Two single hot guys for the price of one?"

"Wh-What?! F-Fox! C-Coco! That's not what-I mean-Stop laughing!"

 **Haku looked between his two teammates before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Guys. Focus: Is. Naruto. On. Drugs?"**

" **Yes." Kurama answered with a nod while Sasuke remained quiet.**

" **...Are they painkillers?"**

" **Nope."**

" **...Then what is he on?" Sasuke asked in Haku's stead, since the androgynous boy was too busy twitching in irritation.**

" **Some experimental sedative brought in by a Mistral Med Student." Kurama shrugged.**

"They did _what_ to my bae?!" Yang snapped, her eyes turning red and her hair ignited. The blazing bombshell was doused in foam by an extinguisher-wielding Nora.

"I get my Girl Scout bag for firefighting now!" Nora cheered as she waved the fire extinguisher above her head.

"Nora, you were kicked out of the Girl Scouts." Ren pointed out.

"…I was falsely accused!"

"You ate all the cookies."

"You're a monster!" Ruby declared as she dramatically pointed at Nora.

" **...And why was this allowed!?" Haku and Sasuke asked. Kurama held a paper up and Sasuke snatched it. He scanned over the words written on it before his skin turned white. Warily, he looked up at the Faunus, who nodded grimly.**

" **...Would you like to share what it says with the class, Sasuke, or are you and Kurama going to keep making eyes at each other?" Haku asked.**

" **Well, you're in a mood. Why is that? Got your period?" Kurama asked.**

"He _is_ pretty enough, I'd believe it." Coco muttered.

 **Haku pulled his scroll out and pointed at the screen. An exclamation point with a three-digit number beneath it was visible. There was an audible buzz before the three-digit number became a** _ **four**_ **-digit number.**

" **Our friends aren't allowed to leave the dorm. They figured I would be most likely to keep them up to date." Haku mumbled. There was another buzz and he hung his head. "And Ruby doesn't realize that I need more than a second to respond."**

"Eh-heh-heh," Ruby scratched her head sheepishly. "Whoops?"

"So impatient." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"It's not my fault!" Ruby whined.

 **Another buzz and Kurama smirked.**

" **Wow, she's tenacious."**

" **Maybe she likes the pretty ones," Sasuke said, a smirk aimed at Haku.**

Ruby flushed when Blake and Weiss looked at her with amused smirks.

"Yes!" Yang beamed and punched the air. " _Finally_! I know your type!"

"I don't have a type!"

" **...Who. Allowed. The. Experiment?" Haku asked again. Sasuke and Kurama lost their amused smiles and grimaced.**

" **Tsunade Senju." They answered together.**

 **Haku's stern look immediately fell. Tsunade Senju, the Slug Princess, known across Remnant for three things: She's one of the three teammates of the Toad Sage, and one of the two that were still alive; She's probably the most unlucky woman to come out of Vacuo;**

"Wow, she sounds like a real _sucker_. And not the fun kind," Yang said. Everyone groaned at Yang's words.

Except for Coco, who laughed.

 **and to top it off, she is unconditionally agreed to be the** _ **best**_ **healer in all of Vacuo, and maybe even all of Remnant.**

 **To get her approval on something experimental to be used on a** _ **student**_ **in Beacon...Well, Haku summarized his thoughts on the situation simply.**

" **...Oh...Fuck."**

" **Exactly." Kurama nodded. He took the paper back, folded it up, and stuffed it into his pocket. The Faunus gestured towards the hallway. "Maybe we can find out what sort of drug it is from his chart in his room."**

" _ **RUN FOR YOUR**_ **LIVES** _ **!**_ **" The scream was faint, but still loud, and was followed by an enraged female voice: "** _ **NA-RU-TO!**_ **"**

"How many girls does he know?" Yang frowned while she brushed the foam out of her hair with a brush given to her by the only one in the room she felt had a sense of humor.

"A lot?" Jaune guessed.

"I think that was a rhetorical question, Jaune." Pyrrha pointed out.

" **...Kurama..."**

" **Yes Sasuke?"**

 **Sasuke had a look of mild terror on his face. "Is...Was that who I thought it was?"**

" **Probably-"**

" _ **SHANNARO**_ **!" There was a loud smack followed by a boom that shook the foundation.**

" **...Definitely." Kurama amended his statement with a nod.**

" **Ah. Well then." Sasuke promptly turned around and left the building.**

 **Haku blinked and looked at Kurama.**

" **...Do I even want to-?"**

" **It was his ex."**

"Wow, he must be _really_ scared of her." Ruby said with wide eyes.

"So, she's a librarian type? Oh, he's got it for a nurse, I can see that." Coco mused with a light grin.

" **Ah." A beat. "Should we follow?"**

" **My instincts say yes...But my desire to not bring the wrath of the Fem-Naruto down on me is greater." Kurama sighed.**

"Smart." Yang nodded.

"Miracles do happen," Weiss said with a snort.

"You have it _bad_ for Velvet's foxy toy."

"Coco!" "I do _not_!"

" **I was afraid you'd say that."**

" **And that makes you a wise man, Haku."**

"A pretty wise man."

"Ruby, I'm so proud of you right now." Yang smiled at the pun her sister made.

 **A few hours ago, Naruto didn't know where he was. He wasn't even entirely sure who he was. Hell, he didn't even know how to tell whether one thing was one thing or if it was another thing. He did know one thing though: Whatever the hell was being fed into his body by the magical clear tube was** _ **awesome**_ **. Naruto felt like he could do whatever he want, and he was** _ **not**_ **afraid to tell the people that visited him such.**

" **I'm gonna go to the fuckin' moon." He told the talking pink-headed howler monkey.**

" **That's nice, Naruto." The Pink Howler mumbled as she scrawled something onto a clipboard.**

" **Then, I'm gonna take some of the cheese off the moon...and make it into a sandwich." Naruto threw a hand out. "No! No!...Imma put it on ramen. Yeah...Then, I'm gonna fill a crater with ramen...and just ...Damn man, look at my hand...all motion-y and shit..."**

" **Side effect of hallucination and broken speech." The Pink Howler mumbled again.**

"Stop drug testing him!" Yang snarled. She folded her arms over her bust and quieted down when Nora waved the fire extinguisher at her.

" **You really got a see this...HOLY SHIT!" Wide, dilated blue eyes locked on the Pink Howler and a finger pointed at her head. "YOU'VE GOT PINK HAIR!"**

" **Vocal volume control..." The Pink Howler sighed and scribbled something else down. "I swear, this better not be a long lasting side effect."**

 **Naruto fell asleep twenty minutes into his hallucination. He began to dream of mountains and valleys. He dreamt of an angel with beautiful golden hair and lilac eyes giving him his wings.**

"Only for you, Bae." Yang sighed happily.

"Not real." Blake muttered.

"What's that? Sounds like you're asking for a intimate moment with my fist," Yang said dryly.

"...This really isn't healthy."

"This is my caring face. See me caring?"

 **They were mild...and delicious. Then, just as she was about to give him something he'd** _ **really**_ **enjoy, his damnable conscious started to stir. He awoke to that feeling where he knew he was awake, but didn't want to leave the dream. It was an unpleasant awakening...and a very embarrassing situation for the next nurse that came in. She was a meek thing, wide lavender eyes that stayed locked on his tent just long enough for her face to turn every possible shade of red before she bolted out of his room.**

"She got an eye full of my dong!" Yang raged.

"Your dong?" Blake asked, arching a brow.

"I rode the bucking bronco until we were out cold." The buxom blonde declared firmly. "It's mine."

 _ **Well, that was unprofessional**_ **. Naruto thought to himself as he pulled the IV out of his arm and began to re-dress. Once his pants were back on, he paused and pursed his lips.**

" **Huh...that girl looked really familiar...Eh, whatever." Naruto shrugged and pulled his complimentary white T-shirt on. He grabbed his coat and went to the door. "Time to get checked out and then visit Yang." He grinned lightly. "Maybe we'll play doctor..."**

"Ooh, sounds fun! I've got this nurse outfit from a costume party…"

"Yang, please, I'm begging you!" Ruby wailed at her sister.

"But it's got a cute little hat and stockings-!"

"PLEASE!"

"Fine, fine," Yang said, crossing her arms and pouting. "Party pooper."

 **Once he pulled the door open, Naruto stared at a familiar pair of emerald eyes and shoulder-length pink hair. The girl who had the pink hair stood a head shorter than him, and wore a white doctor's coat over a red vest, and she wore black shorts that were held up a utility belt, as well as heeled sandals similar to Kurenai's.**

 **Naruto blinked.**

 **The girl blinked.**

 **Naruto beamed. "Sakura!"**

 **The girl frowned. "Naruto."**

"Oh god, he messed up," Jaune said. He covered his eyes, but snuck a little peek between his fingers. "Tell me when it's over."

" **I thought you were in Mistral with the Old Hag!"**

" **Naruto." The girl, Sakura, ground her teeth.**

" **You came to visit! You should've sent me a scroll call so I could tell the others!" Naruto looked away and scratched his cheek. "Especially Sasuke, so he could lay low."**

" **Naruto!" Sakura finally snapped.**

" **Eh? What's up, Sakura?" Naruto asked as he looked back at her. When he saw that her unfortunately disproportioned forehead had overshadowed her eyes, he began to pale. Rapidly. "Uh, Sakura? Wh-what's wrong? Are you mad? Please tell me what I did."**

" **Naruto...Why aren't you in your bed?"**

"With your sexy girlfriend? I know, right?"

"Yang, really!"

"What? I'm talking about cuddling."

 **Naruto pouted and began to twiddle his thumbs. "Sakura, you know how I feel about hospitals..."**

" **Naruto. You were checked in by** _ **Lord**_ **Jiraiya, and he asked Lady Tsunade to drop by and visit." Sakura frowned. "You've been walking around with a chipped pelvis. Really, it's a miracle that you've even been walking for so long with that fragment still in your hip."**

All eyes turned to Yang, who flushed.

"What?" she asked.

"You chipped his hips." Blake deadpanned.

"Eager much?" Coco asked, smirking.

"I must've been lost in the moment!"

"Must've been one hell of a moment," Coco said. She looked at Fox, who groaned. She patted his arm. "Oh, don't worry. I won't hurt you as much."

 _ **Well that explains the excessive soreness.**_ **Naruto thought idly. As he wondered how it happened, his eyes glazed over and a dopey grin crossed his face.**

" **Naruto? Naruto! Hey! I'm talking to you!" Sakura waved her hand in front of his face. Her eye twitched. "Seriously!? Naruto! I'm taking Sasuke out to Ramen and you're not invited."**

" **You pink haired howler monkey!" Naruto snapped, making Sakura take a step back. Naruto blinked and clapped his hands over his mouth once he realized what he'd said.** _ **Oh dear Oum, what've I done?**_

"He done messed up." Jaune summarized what Naruto's current situation was.

Ren, Yatsuhashi, and Fox put their hands together in a prayer.

" **...Howler...Monkey...?" Sakura's eyebrow twitched. Her hands clasped together and her knuckles popped. Her eyes shone with malicious intent. "Naruto..."**

 **Throwing logical thought out the window, Naruto fell upon the tried and true instincts that all beings had ingrained in them, primarily the fight or flight response. And with his experience at how often (isn't sarcasm wonderful?) the fight response worked in this situation, Naruto resigned himself to the only other reaction that probably made the situation even worse.**

 **He slipped passed the stunned girl and bolted for the nearest exit.**

 **Unfortunately, he went the wrong way.**

 **And Sakura soon began to chase after him.**

 **Thus, we are brought to the present.**

" **Get out of my way! Get out of my way! Get out of my way!" Naruto shouted frantically as he jumped over patients, pushed past nurses and doctors, and bowled over everyone else. In the back of his mind, he wondered why the school's medical facility was so full. Then he remembered that there were three additional schools on campus, and a lot of fights could've broken out or spars that took bad turns. They were training to be defenders after all, so there was always a chance for injuries.**

"And with the Breach, I'm sure everyone is either helping or training in case something happens." Pyrrha clarified.

 **All the while, as these thoughts are going through Naruto's head, he's running for his life from the she-devil that was Sakura Haruno. The pink haired girl was checking her fellow doctors into walls and knocking nurses to the ground. She was surprisingly agile when a patient was in view, though. What Naruto really noticed, though, was that she was gaining on him.**

 _ **Geez, it's like Ruby's speed! Curse you Righteous Female Fury! You screw me over yet again!**_ **Naruto thought with an angry glare up at the sky.**

"Meh, she could be going faster." Ruby shrugged with a bored look on her face. Yang cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Run faster! Don't let the billboard sign catch you!" She yelled.

 **When his eyes came back down, he noticed a group of students, one in a wheelchair with a cast on his leg, in his way. With Sakura hot on his heels and the last turn a good three seconds away, Naruto did the only thing he could.**

" **RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" He shouted as loud as he was able, which was surprisingly loud for a guy who screamed himself hoarse the day before. Like a group of terrified deer, the students froze. Without another word – Naruto already warned them, and probably the rest of Vale – Naruto let his semblance burn to life and moved to the side of the wall. He barreled through like a truck, knocking pipes, wires and concrete out of his way as he cut through to another part of the hospital.**

"And that's a detention." Blake commented with a little smirk.

" **NA-RU-TO!"**

 **Unfortunately, Sakura followed his path.**

 **Naruto shrieked in fear – he was man enough to admit that his balls had retracted for a good second or two. She wasn't slowed in the slightest and from the corner of Naruto's eye, her right fist looked like it was glowing bright green. Then, there was a sudden lack of air and Naruto flipped onto his back, sliding down the floor to the end of the hall.**

"And he is _down_!" Jaune winced.

 **With a groan, a blue eye cracked open and stared up at two** _ **very**_ **annoyed brown eyes that glared down at him. The owner of the eyes had a small purple diamond in the center of her forehead and pale blonde hair that flowed down her back. She wore a greenish-grey kimono top underneath a white doctor's coat, both of which did little to conceal her very impressive cleavage, and black slacks that ended at the ankle, revealing her heeled sandals. Overall, she looked to be in her mid-thirties, but in reality, she was nearing her mid-fifties.**

"Hot damn! I wish I'll look like that in my mid-fifties." Yang gawked.

"I wonder what kind of skin cream she uses." Weiss muttered with interest.

Coco whistled as she eyed the woman. "Look at those yams."

Weiss looked down at her own modest bust with a frown.

"You should drink more milk, Weiss."

"Shut up you!"

" **...Granny...Why?" Naruto wheezed out as his semblance dwindled away.**

" **I just got you out of surgery to remove bone fragments from your body, do you know how annoying it was to learn you were in the hospital** _ **again**_ **, Brat?" The woman asked with a hard glare. She lifted a hand up to her nose and pinched it, releasing a sigh. "You know what? Just take your medicine."**

 **Naruto grimaced as the woman stepped out of the way and revealed a** _ **very**_ **upset Sakura. The pink haired girl cracked her glowing green knuckles and scowled down at the blond.**

" **...Mercy?"**

 **Sakura grabbed Naruto by the collar and lifted him up off the ground and into the air with one hand. The other pulled back and Naruto cringed prematurely when it flew. A beat passed and he peeked open one eye. Sakura's fist was a centimeter away from his face. Sakura pulled it away and smirked at him as she lowered him onto the floor, making Naruto blink. He then slowly grinned and interlaced his hands behind his head.**

" **You just pranked me..." Naruto chuckled.**

"It's a trap!" Ren yelled out in panic.

" **Wow, that was a good o-"**

" **SHANNARO!"**

 **Naruto didn't even have time to comprehend the shout before he found himself flying back down the hall. Then he went through the wall at the end. Past a very steamy scene between a doctor and a nurse – he'd have to find out what the hell that was about later – before he landed on the ground outside of the medical ward. Distantly, he heard someone scream 'New Record'.**

" **...Oh, hell, Naruto. Why'd you have to piss her off?" A very annoyed grumble came from beneath the rubble beside him.**

" **Ugh...S-Screw you...Sasuke..."**

" **Damn, Kurama, you sure grew up." Sakura mused as she looked** _ **up**_ **at the Faunus that was partnered with her ex and one of her two best friends. "You used to be my height! When'd the growth spurt kick in?"**

" **About a week after you left for med school." Kurama shrugged. He looked down at his annoyed partner, who had his arm in a sling from a bad dislocation that needed at least a day to heal, and smirked. "Surprised him, too."**

"I can see why they broke up, if he gets hit a lot." Weiss stated.

"But she can heal him right up, so that's nice-ish." Ruby added.

Blake shook her head, "That makes it scarier."

"Unless he's into that sort of thing," Yang said.

"...Why would anyone want to be hurt?!" Ruby asked, horrified.

"It isn't supposed to hurt." Weiss said casually before she caught herself. "I-I-mean, I, you...Shut up, Yang!"

"I didn't say anything."

" **Screw you, Ōtsutsuki." Sasuke grumbled lowly, keeping his head down and his gaze averted from his ex-girlfriend. They didn't part on the best of terms, so this was extremely awkward for him.**

" **I'm sure Velvet wouldn't appreciate that." Haku chuckled as he secretly sent a picture of Naruto's grinning face to Yang to appease her and her teams' barrage of questions. He was sure to get a shot of the 'good' side of Naruto's face, which did** _ **not**_ **have a giant bruise on it.**

"Deceiver! See if you get to go to the wedding!" Yang raged.

"Yang."

"Say something, Blake. I dare you."

" **Velvet!?" Sakura asked, emerald eyes gleaming as they turned to Kurama. "You have** _ **one**_ **girlfriend? Wow, miracles do happen. You managed to keep it in your pants longer than I thought you would."**

" **Did you just call me a slut?" Kurama asked in mock offense.**

"He is man-whore-ish."

"Ruby, enough with the ish already." Weiss sighed.

"I can ish as much as I want to ish!"

" **You did jump from girl to girl rather quickly." Naruto added while he pressed the icepack against the right side of his face. He began to whistle innocently when Kurama sent him a dark look.**

" **...This means war." Kurama vowed. He looked back at Sakura and smirked. "Naruto had a girlfriend for the first eight months after he got back from his journey with Jiraiya."**

" **Oh, you dick..." Naruto grimaced as Sakura turned towards him with a new gleam in her eyes.**

" _ **You**_ **had a secret girlfriend?** _ **You**_ **?"**

"We know." Yang grumbled, "Stop talking about it."

" **...Ouch, Sakura. My feelings..." Naruto pouted, looking like a sad kitten as he did. Kurama snapped a photo with his scroll and sent it off to Yang. Along with the caption of: 'He misses you shoo mush'.**

"Oh, poor baby!" Yang cooed at the screen.

She was oblivious of the odd looks sent her way.

 _ **And so it begins.**_ **Kurama thought with a grin as he got revenge on both Naruto** _ **and**_ **Haku. He felt his tail swish mischievously.** _ **Now to add fuel to the fire.**_

" **He did. I met her." Kurama added. "Pretty, too. Almost as pretty as his current girlfriend."**

" **...Oh my god. I have to go call Ino." Sakura rushed out of the hospital room. A beat passed before she poked her head back in and glared at Naruto. "Don't. Run. Away."**

 **Naruto cringed and nodded somberly. Sakura beamed and pulled her head back out as she shut the door. There was a sharp crack and Naruto glared at Sasuke, who made a whipping gesture.**

" **At least Yang lets me carry my balls. Sakura still has yours." Naruto hissed.**

Yang nodded. "There'd be no room in my purse otherwise."

"…I can't even contemplate a retort to that." Blake shook her head.

" **...You fucker." Sasuke scowled.**

" **Kurama, why am I getting cussed out by Yang?" Haku asked dryly. He paled a bit at the last sent message. He didn't even want to know how a knee could bend that way.**

 **The Faunus smirked and his tail swished. "Think next time before you tell a girl I know about Velvet, Haku."**

 **The door burst open again and Sakura held her scroll out to Naruto. "Ino wants to grill you."**

 **Naruto grimaced and waved his free hand frantically. The scroll was tossed over to him and, with a betrayed whimper, he lifted the scroll up to his ear.**

" _ **Details! I want to know**_ **everything** _ **!**_ **"**

"Who is this now?" Weiss rolled her eyes, "More women in his life? Tut-tut."

"Stop torturing me!" Yang whined.

 **Naruto winced and pulled the scroll away from his head at the shriek. He sent Sakura and his teammates a dirty look before he brought the scroll back to his ear. "Hello to you too, Ino-** _ **Pig**_ **."**

" _ **If I wasn't flying to my next gig, Uzumaki, I'd kick you in the nuts.**_ **"**

" **You've been saying that since we were ten." Naruto rolled his eyes.**

" _ **Enough chit-chat. Details. New girl. What's she like? Is she a redhead? Please,**_ **please** _ **tell me it's a redhead.**_ **" Ino pleaded.**

"No. No she's not." Yang grumbled and glanced at Pyrrha. "...She better not."

"Please, don't look at me like that." Pyrrha whispered with a gulp. She wasn't really invincible, fists weren't made of metal. And Yang's punches looked like they hurt a _lot_.

 **The whiskered blond groaned and flopped back in his bed.**

" **Why does everyone keep saying that? I like red** _ **hair**_ **, not red** _ **heads**_ **."**

" _ **...Wow, seriously? It's not a redhead? ...Does she have long dark hair? Is it the princess of your dreams?**_ **"**

" **She's a golden blonde, Ino."**

" **Give me that." Kurama snatched the scroll and set it to speaker. "Ino? It's Kurama."**

" _ **Oh! Hey foxy, still thinking about my offer?**_ **"**

"She's a total bimbo." Yang concluded.

Coco and Blake nodded in agreement, they could see it.

" **Offer? Oh yeah...Er, never mind. You're on speaker, Ino."**

" _ **So? Offer spreads to your teammates, too. Naruto, Sasuke, how'd you like to be my groupies? C'mon, three of you and one little ol' me...Do good and I'll bump you up to Security Guards with benefits.**_ **"**

 **Naruto and Sasuke's eyebrows rose up to the top of their heads. Sakura shook her head and Haku laughed. Kurama rubbed his eyes and sighed.**

" **Ino. Focus. Naruto's girlfriend."**

" _ **She can come, too. I don't mind. What's she like?**_ **"**

"Well I do mind." Yang frowned and thumbed to Blake. "Blakey is the only one I would be chill enough to consider sharing my dong with."

Blake turned about fifty different shades of red at that.

"Yang!"

"What? It's true."

" **She's basically a female Naruto." Sasuke, Haku and Kurama drawled. Sakura paled rapidly and Naruto scowled. Yang was more than just a female version of him dammit.**

" _ **...Oh god, have they reproduced yet?**_ **"**

" **Thankfully no," Sasuke said.**

" **But they have started to try." Kurama added.**

"Assholes." Yang pouted and crossed her arms. "The lot of you."

" _ **Aw, man, does that mean Naruto's V-card was stolen by some blonde bimbo!?**_ **"**

"Bitch!"

" **...Ino,** _ **you**_ **are a blonde bimbo." Naruto, Sasuke, Kurama and Sakura drawled.**

Yang pumped her fist. "Called it!"

" _ **Which makes it okay for me to say it. Duh.**_ **" Ino scoffed through the scroll. "** _ **So, did she?**_ **"**

" **No, Ino, that was stolen by Naruto's ex." Sakura answered.**

" _ **Naruto has an**_ **ex** _ **!? Damn, boy, you move fast! You've been gone what, six, seven months?**_ **"**

" **That's about right." Haku nodded.**

" _ **Oh, who was that? That was a sexy voice.**_ **"**

" **That's Haku. He's a pretty boy. Like, girly pretty, not Sasuke pretty." Naruto answered, smirking at his rival who glared back at him.**

"It is true," Weiss nodded, Haku was very pretty.

" _ **Send me a pic later. But anyway, back to the Ex. Details! When did you two meet, Naruto?**_ **"**

" **...a few months after I got back from my trip with Jiraiya..." Naruto mumbled sheepishly. "We dated for the rest of the school year."**

" _ **Dammit, really? See Sakura! I told you I should've asked him out! Humph...Would've had a fine tanned ass to hold onto for a while instead of Sai's pasty butt.**_ **"**

Yang narrowed her eyes. "I _really_ don't like her."

"We know." The room drawled.

" **How is Sai?" Sakura asked.**

" _ **Baked out of his mind. It makes for interesting art, but, damn does it affect his sex life. Back to the ex. What's she like?**_ **"**

" **Got a desert thief princess vibe to her." Kurama answered. He set the scroll down and crossed his arms over his chest as he growled. "And she's hanging out with a douchebag and some slippery bitch...Can't get a read on them."**

" _ **Ooh, a bad girl? Naruto, you dog.**_

Yang let out a whine and pouted. "I can be bad."

"I know, Yang, I know." Blake patted her shoulder.

"Don't patronize me."

 _ **Oh, shit, we're landing. Gotta get off my Scroll before the pilot flips his lid again. Nice talking to you all, see you at the festival boys! And you, Sakura, call me later with more details!**_ **"**

" **Bye Ino." Team NHKS chorused.**

" **Talk to you later, Pig." Sakura added playfully.**

" _ **See you, Billboard Brow.**_ **"**

 **The call ended there.**

 **Then another scroll began to ring.**

 **Eyes turned to Haku, who pulled his scroll out. He smiled and held the phone out to Naruto. The image on the screen was that of a grinning lilac-eyed blonde who had her arm around an out of screen blue-eyed blond from way back when Teams RWBY, JNPR and NHKS first began to hang out at the beginning of the semester.**

" **Naruto. It's for you."**

"Answer it, Whisker Boy." Yang drummed her fingers on her arm.

"Such bloodlust." Yatsuhashi muttered.

"I think it's just lust, Yatsu." Coco chuckled.

" **...I** _ **fucking**_ **hate you, Haku."**

" **Oh my god, your face is all gross and beat up!" Ruby exclaimed as soon as Naruto walked into the dorm rec room. A rather large purple bruise covered the right side of his face. It started at the bottom of his eye, rode down his cheek and ended three-fourths of an inch from his jawline. His right eye was squinted slightly and if one looked closely, the bruise was** _ **slowly**_ **receding.**

"Wow, Ruby, thanks for that riveting statement." Weiss drawled.

"Well, it is!" Ruby pointed out. Yang reached over and cuffed her sister upside the head. "Owie!"

" **Yes, because I** _ **love**_ **hearing that after my childhood 'girl-friend' knocked me the fuck out with one hit." Naruto mumbled sourly while he made his way over to the loveseat where his girlfriend sat. He sat down beside her and let his arm fall behind Yang's side of the couch. As soon as he was comfortable, Yang leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.**

" **Poor big baby...did the mean girl beat you up?" She cooed playfully, a teasing gleam in her eye.**

" **...Yes..." Naruto groaned. They'd discussed the terms of his punishment for A) not immediately calling her once he was sobered up and conscious in the medical ward and B) not telling off his other childhood friend for offering him what were implied to be sexual favors.**

"Yeah, he's in big trouble." Ren agreed with a nod.

 **For the next two weeks, Naruto was essentially Yang's slave, body pillow and verbal punching bag. Basically, his leash was shortened to less than a foot long.**

"I could go for a sandwich." Yatsuhashi rubbed his stomach.

" **Would you like a kiss to make it better?" Yang asked.**

" **Yes...Please?" Naruto pleaded with a small pout.**

" **Please what?" The blonde grinned.**

" **Please..." Naruto hesitated and sent a glance Ruby's way, actually a little bit sorry for what he had to say next. "...Honey-Boobs?"**

" **Good boy." Yang mused before she rewarded her boyfriend with a gentle kiss on the lips.**

"In public, Yang?" Blake deadpanned. Yang grinned.

"You're just jealous." She accused.

"…Am not."

 **Ruby gagged while the rest of their teams rolled their eyes.**

" **Ew, that's so gross!" Ruby stuck her tongue out in disgust.**

" **Grow some thicker skin, Ruby, you're going to see that in the real world." Kurama nudged the girl. She looked at him with a pout and he grimaced. With a heavy sigh, Kurama then held up a new weapons catalog he purchased with the limited freedom he had while his team leader was checking out of the medical ward. "Here, now stop pouting."**

" **Whoa, a diamond cast slug barrel-axe...Made out of backyard supplies!?" Ruby dove into the magazine and walked over to a couch while Kurama shook his head and went to the recliner he usually claimed.**

Ruby gasped in awe.

"Why do I feel like she's going to marry a gun?" Yang asked Weiss.

"Because she understands them more than people?"

"Sounds about right." Yang hung her head in concern.

 **Haku and Sasuke exchanged a look before they raced for the Big Screen to play a game while Weiss and Blake went back to their respective books.**

" **So," Yang broke the silence, but remained lying on her personal body pillow. "Good news from one of my old Signal friends, the lockdown is ending soon."**

" **And the bad news?" Naruto asked.**

" **Well, it's not bad news for Ruby, but for you guys..." Yang trailed off.**

" **...And the** _ **bad**_ **news?" Naruto insisted.**

" **Some of Signal's students are coming to interview the older students of Atlas, Beacon, Shade and Haven."**

" **...How is that bad news for us?" Weiss asked. She smiled at Ruby. "Maybe we'll get to meet some of your friends and get some insight on how you acted at your starter."**

" **Uh-huh, yeah, sure. Sounds like a good doily design, Weiss."**

" **Well, the chaperone is our dad." Yang said.**

"…Oh no." Yang paled.

"Yes! Called it! I called it! I called it!" Ruby cheered childishly.

 **Naruto suddenly shivered and looked around.**

" **Anyone else feel that?"**

" **Feel what?" Sasuke asked, half distracted.**

" **Like a draft or something just blew through here." Naruto mumbled. He adjusted himself in his seat and looked very confused. In the end, he shrugged it off.**

 **He was probably just being paranoid.**

"Run, run now!" Yang screamed at the screen in an attempt to warn him.

"I told you so, Yang." Ruby smirked smugly at her sister.

"Ruby, shut up!"


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXX: Evaluations**

* * *

"Please don't be in this one. Please don't be in this one. Please don't be in this one." Yang chanted with her fingers crossed.

" **Well, I'm thoroughly impressed, Brat. There's not even a hint of a bruise left." The medical mammary-blessed genius that was Tsunade said to Naruto as she manhandled his jaw and turned his head different directions.**

"Oh, thank _god_." Yang sighed in relief before she grabbed her own breasts. "Seriously, how are hers so big?"

Weiss carefully hid her keen interest in wanting to know the answer to that question.

"Yeah," Jaune sighed, staring at the screen along with the other boys, while Pyrrha frowned a little.

 **The teen was seated shirtless in Beacon's medical building. It was time for the physical and mental evaluations for the Vytal Festival. Tsunade took over most of Beacon's teams, something that Ozpin was more than ready to back up, despite her notably Vacoan ties. Particularly when it came to Naruto and his team.**

" **Granny, with how hard you're grabbing my face, I might get another." Naruto mumbled. He grimaced when Tsunade tightened her grip. She was as naturally strong as he was, and could send someone Cardin's size, fully decked out in his armor, flying with just a flick of her finger. Even Yang at her maddest, that Naruto had seen anyway, couldn't do that.**

Yang glanced at her finger, a determined look on her face, "I must master this new skill."

"It's a finger flick." Blake told her.

"That can send people _flying_! How epic is that?!"

"It's super epic!" Nora declared.

"Exactly!"

 **At least, Naruto prayed she couldn't do that.**

" **Loudmouth brats should address their doctors with respect." Tsunade grit out through a cheery smile while she squeezed Naruto's face.**

" **Ow, leggo of me, ya old hag!"**

" **R-E-S-P-E-C-T." Tsunade released Naruto's face and then** _ **gently**_ **bopped him on the head with the bottom of her fist. While the whiskered boy rubbed his abused head, she shook hers in bemusement. Tsunade went over to enter her notes for the next part of the evaluation and mumbled under her breath, "Why you had to take after your mother in that regard, I'll never know."**

"Nothing wrong with a guy having some sass." Yang defended.

"Says you." Weiss huffed in disagreement.

" **Yeah, me either." Naruto muttered lowly. He rolled his jaw and grabbed his shirt, prepared to get dressed again.**

" **Don't go far." Tsunade cut him off and turned back around to face him. She pulled a rubber glove on and let it snap around her wrist. With her ungloved hand she pointed at Naruto's pants. "Drop 'em and get ready to cough."**

"Aw man, this is not cool." Jaune groaned. He and the rest of the boys, save for the silent Fox, covered their eyes.

Weiss, Pyrrha, Ruby and Velvet did the same, whereas Blake and Nora covered their eyes, but cracked their fingers apart to sneak a few peaks.

Yang and Coco grinned openly and sat forward.

"Free show!" They cheered, sharing a no-looks-needed-high-five.

" **...Oh dammit." Naruto groaned. Though he didn't** _ **mind**_ **dropping his drawers, he had no reason to have shame for his body, the blond wasn't exactly** _ **keen**_ **on dropping his drawers so someone who he saw as a grandmother could give his boys a checkup.**

"That should be my job." Yang pouted.

"Are you a licensed doctor?" Velvet asked.

"Well, no, but...it's my property." Yang huffed.

"…I don't think it works that way." Weiss deadpanned.

"Says the one without a boyfriend."

"I don't need one!" Weiss snapped, her cheeks red.

" **Is this really necessary?"**

" **What's wrong, did you shrink in the tub?"**

" **You're a perverted old bat, I hope you're aware of that."**

" **For the love of – Just man up and drop your pants, Naruto!" Tsunade snapped.**

" **Fine!" Naruto undid the buckle of his belt and let his jeans fall. His green boxers with pink hearts soon followed. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and looked away as Tsunade began to inspect him. His eye twitched. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."**

" **Do you really want to be smart with a woman who has your balls in her hands?" Tsunade asked.**

 **Naruto clammed up. He'd already had Yang squeeze his boys in a way he didn't approve of.**

"Is that a fetish of yours?" Blake asked with a raised brow. Yang actually gained a bit of color in her cheeks and averted her eyes slightly.

"No."

 **It wasn't an experience he wanted to risk happening again. Let alone with Tsunade's strength. No amount of medicine, healing or aura would make** _ **that**_ **get better. His boys would be pretty much useless, which sucked because Naruto** _ **did**_ **want kids later in life. Would he have kids with Yang? He could see himself having a couple of lilac-eyed blondes running around and smashing rocks with their bare fists.**

"And thus, the world met its end." Blake bowed her head. "Amen."

"Amen." Everyone, but Yang, chorused

"You guys all suck." Yang glared around the room. "Like my kids would be _that_ bad!"

"They would." Ruby and Weiss told her bluntly.

Yang pouted while crossing her arms under her bust.

 **Elsewhere, on a small island miles west of Vale, a blond haired man suddenly stopped mid-sentence as he explained the theory of hunting strategy to his class. Lilac eyes flared red for the briefest of moments. The chalk in his hand exploded when he clenched his hand into a fist and the students flinched.**

 _ **Someone is fantasizing about my little sunshine.**_ **The man thought angrily.** _ **Someone needs to get a boot up their ass!**_

"I see who got the temperament in the family." Weiss mused as she glanced at Yang.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The buxom brawler asked.

"Oh, nothing..."

 **Naruto shivered as he pulled his pants back up. It felt like someone just walked over his grave.**

" **Well, there's no signs of anything too concerning. And you already admitted that you are sexually active." Tsunade mused as she looked over Naruto's chart. "About how many times a week would you say you have sex?"**

" **Every hour of each day." Naruto answered dryly. "Double that on the weekends."**

"Now that's what I call stamina!" Coco whistled.

"Hey, I may be a power player, but even I need to rest." Yang dismissed with a wave of her hand.

" **...Smartass." Tsunade huffed. She flipped the page up. "Weight's good, aura levels are still abnormally high, and as far as I can tell, you're in the best shape among your class."**

" **It's my secret diet." Naruto bragged.**

" **...All you can eat ramen?" Tsunade drawled. Naruto merely grinned in answer and she sighed, but smiled. "I'm starting to think that there's something in the broth, hidden amongst the salt and fat. Your parents loved it, too and they were** _ **never**_ **sick either."**

"It's a powerful healing remedy." Ren agreed with a nod.

" **Duh. Ramen is the food of the Gods." Naruto said with a bright smile. He loved being reminded of his parents' love for the noodle dish.**

 **Tsunade rolled her eyes and tossed the chart onto a table. "Just get out of here, you goof. You're cleared for the Tournament."**

" **Yes! Freedom!" Naruto whooped as he ran out of the room. Tsunade shook her head.**

" **That boy is just as hyper as his mother was," she said. Tsunade went to the door and looked at the nurse. "Send in the next one!"**

"So he looks like DILF-in-law to-be, but acts like MILF-in-law to-be," Yang said with a nod.

"Can you _not_ refer to them by those names?" Weiss asked.

"They're apt, _Sneeze_."

"...Sleep with one eye open, Yang."

" **So, you're from Fog, huh? I've heard great things about the new headmaster." Sakura said as she checked Haku's eyes. She'd gotten the embarrassing 'check' out of the way first, since she hardly knew him. It was a bit awkward considering their ages, but Sakura was a professional. Er, well, she was a professional when she wasn't chasing stupid childhood friends through the halls.**

"Yeah, sure, and I'm going to be arrested for assault," Yang said with a snort.

"Either you don't know how easily that could happen or you really don't like this girl," Blake said dryly.

"I don't like her. She brains the Bae and his teammates whenever she wants from what we've gathered." Yang ticked a point off of her finger. "She bruises them, breaks them physically and in Sasuke's case emotionally, and puts the fear of god into them. Need I go on?"

"No." Blake, Weiss and Ruby deadpanned.

"Aw..." Nora pouted. "I wanted to hear more good ideas."

"...Nora, those weren't...Never mind." Ren sighed.

 **Stupid Naruto and his stupid problem with hospitals.**

"Actually, I can see where he's coming from," Yatsuhashi said lowly. He rubbed his chin. "For places about healing and feeling better, they are rather bland and lifeless."

"That's true, Yatsu." Coco nodded in agreement.

 **At least Tsunade was there to have her back.**

" **I've been out of touch since I graduated and fell into an apprenticeship." Haku replied. He blinked out the spots in his eyes as Sakura moved on to examine his ears. "So...You and my team were...close?"**

" **Heh, close is an understatement." Sakura chuckled. "They were** _ **my**_ **teammates before they were yours. We were a solid unit, Naruto was our 'heavy hitter', Sasuke and I were on support, Kurama was our intelligence gathering battery, and Kakashi was our perverted lazy teacher. Some of my best memories were with Team Kakashi."**

"Sounds fun, I think?" Ruby tilted her head.

"Man, it really does." Yang pouted a little. "I'm going to be stuck with her. Dammit, Bae..."

" **Team Kakashi?" Haku asked. He'd heard it mentioned from time to time when his teammates would speak of their past, but other than that, their lips were sealed.**

" **Kon puts academy students under experienced Huntsmen, five man teams, and would use the experienced leader's name to differentiate them. Though, to most we were Team Seven; the luckiest rookies in the whole class. We were tight, too. A little family: Kurama the smug older brother, Sasuke the...well, he wasn't like a brother, I'm sure you know, and Naruto was our annoying little brother." Sakura answered with a smile. She set down the tool and prepared her stethoscope. "We did a few missions together before finally graduating and...parting ways. The boys came to Beacon and I went to Mistral to study medicine, eventually becoming Lady Tsunade's apprentice.**

"So, they had a medic? How many teams even have one of those?" Jaune asked.

"Not many," Pyrrha said. "People mainly rely on aura, but even that has its limits for healing and protection. It is a good idea to consider. Maybe we should take more first-aid classes."

"That means more homework." Jaune pointed out.

"I know. It's a grand idea."

Jaune sweat dropped at Pyrrha's bright smile.

 **Take a deep breath...good. Exhale."**

" **I'm...surprised you didn't come with them," Haku said gently. He shivered when Sakura pressed the cold stethoscope against his back. "Wow, that's cold."**

" **So were they," Sakura said with a small frown. "Surprised I mean. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to stay together, but...I was only a hindrance to them. Sasuke was the best in the class, Kurama fought scarily smart and Naruto improved with each fight we had, even managing to capture a live Ursa on his own once.**

"I did that once! It gave me a piggyback ride!" Nora waved her hand in the air with a smile.

Blake and Ren shuddered at the memory.

 **But they had to help me nine times out of ten. I decided that I'd put my smarts to good use and would become a member of the MEDC core, the Mandatory Essential Doctors of Combat. MEDCs can choose their assignments, and I figured I would join them later so I could fix them up and have their backs."**

" **Well, I think it's a grand idea," Haku said with a smile, which Sakura returned. "You care for them and they do for you."**

" **Yes, I'm sure. Like I said, Naruto's the little brother I never had, thank god. I had to give him a firm whack every now and then. I mean, how else is he supposed to learn that he shouldn't be peeking on the girls in the showers?" Sakura sighed.**

"I knew he was a no good pervert!" Weiss crowed victoriously.

"What was there to even peek on?" Yang asked with a frown. "That's like peeking on Weiss."

"Hey!" Weiss scowled at the blonde. "I have beauty and grace!"

"Yeah, but this is _peeking_. You're normally looking for sex appeal."

"Weiss has a nice waist." Ren pointed out. Eyes turned to him and he shrugged. "She does."

"Point, and curves are starting to develop - Ohh, that makes sense." Yang nodded. "Prepubescent hormones."

 **She paused and gave Haku a look. "Don't tell him I told you that. Neither Sasuke nor Kurama knows he peeked on me."**

" **Oh, I won't." Haku was sure to file that tidbit away for later. Kurama possibly already knew, but in case he didn't, now Haku had something to use against his team leader if he got too rowdy.**

"Evil, how sexy." Coco purred. Fox arched a brow and then nodded back at Blake. Coco waved him off. "I'm her senior. She's smart and won't start something with me."

"Unlike other Yang." Weiss smirked. "She'd lost that fight. Badly."

"Exact-Wait, fight? What fight?" Coco asked.

"Coco was cock blocking!" Yang protested. "I was in the right!"

"...I think we should come back to this topic later." Blake pointed out.

 **There was a reason Haku's master was a solo act...even if he didn't do the most glamorous of work. Trust was a hard thing to build when it had been broken far too many times.**

" **And Kurama, I mean wow...he's definitely changed if he's finally got a serious girlfriend. And Sasuke..." Sakura smiled. Her smile became distant. A moment passed and Haku waited patiently. Unfortunately, nothing would come and he would be left wondering.**

" **Enough about my past," Sakura said with a sigh as she went over to her counter and looked over the chart. "Tell me, what's the old apprentice of The Demon doing in Beacon Academy?"**

 **Haku froze and looked at Sakura, who looked back at him calmly.**

"Finally! We get something about his past!" Weiss nodded. "I was starting to get annoyed."

"That's because you're nosy." Blake innocently pointed out to the heiress, who blushed.

"It's character development that should be shared sooner rather than later!"

"It's called drawing you in with an allure of mystery."

"It's time for both of you to shut it so we can hear the backstory!" Nora snapped. She nodded when the two girls clamped up. "Good."

" **H-How do you-?"**

" **Your psyche evaluation file prior to the court case was filled out by one of my MEDC teachers," Sakura said. Her eyes were a bit harder than before, but otherwise her face was blank.**

" **...You want to make sure I'm not a threat." Haku deduced. "That I won't hurt anyone in the tournament."**

" **No." Sakura shook her head and gave him a firm look. "I want to make sure I can trust you to take care of my 'brothers'."**

" **I've been on their team for almost a year," Haku said with a frown.**

" **I've known them my whole life." Sakura frowned. "The Demon is still at large and your case was thrown out on a technicality. You've proven that you aren't a coldblooded assassin, but according to Headmaster Ozpin's personal notes on your file, you're also 'quiet.' 'Distant.' 'Studious over social.' And you're 'more prone to observe than to act.'"**

"That's not a flattering profile." Velvet frowned. "Poor boy."

"It could be worse." Yatsuhashi pointed out.

"I guess..."

 **Each mark made Haku's head hang a bit further than the last. Sakura watched him warily, waiting to see how he would react before she made a call. A soft breath was taken in and Sakura's ears perked up.**

" **...Naruto, Sasuke and Kurama are my friends." Haku began softly. He looked up at Sakura with a firm stare, a look she'd seen many times in her teammates' eyes, in her own eyes when a test or practical had her frazzled.**

 **Determination.**

"And he has a fire in his soul!" Jaune sang dramatically. "It burns!"

"Hey, I'm the only thing that burns around here." Yang argued.

"Oh come on, really?"

"I burn. Simple as that."

" **If Mas-No, if Zabuza does come back for me, I will not go with him. If he threatens them, I will end him. I am Haku Yuki, student of Beacon Academy and a proud member of Team NHKS. I will do all I can to protect my precious people, and there is no one more precious to me than my teammates – no, my** _ **friends**_ **." Haku made a mirror appear beside him and put his hand through it. He snatched a scalpel from the supply drawer. Before Sakura could stop him, the androgynous teen then used the surgical instrument to cut his hand. Haku clenched his cut hand into a fist as his eyes stared unblinkingly into Sakura's. "Call me devoted, call me unhinged, call me crazy, I don't care. With this blood, I, Haku Yuki, swear to you that my loyalty lies first and foremost with my precious people. I will stand with them against all odds, help them shoulder all of their pain, and nothing will stop me. Not my old master, not a single Grimm, not the White Fang, not the Fourth War, and certainly not a doctor with a pen and pencil."**

"…Whoa." Ruby blinked while the others nodded in agreement.

"Man, leave it to the quiet one to give a badass speech." Jaune admitted. "I'm actually a little jealous."

"I think we're all a little jealous." Blake muttered.

 **Sakura stared for several long minutes, still in shock at Haku's speech and actions. A beat passed before she scribbled something down on her notes. Then she set the clipboard on the counter and walked back to Haku. She grabbed his wrist and forced his hand open.**

" **What are you-?"**

" **Ozpin also said that you were without a doubt one of the kindest souls he'd ever met," Sakura interrupted him as she looked over his injury. "He said that you deserved to be redeemed for what your old master put you through, that you were bound to be an illuminating force like every other student of Beacon."**

"Well, that's sweet." Pyrrha smiled.

"Professor Ozpin is the best." Ruby nodded.

Blake cracked a small smile of her own as she recalled her conversation with the Headmaster.

 **Sakura took the scalpel from Haku and set it to the side. She grabbed a roll of tape, a bottle of disinfectant and a pad of gauze. She applied the disinfectant to Haku's cut and then wrapped the gauze around Haku's hand. A bit of medical tape was wound around the gauze and, once finished, the pink haired girl looked up into Haku's eyes with a smile.**

" **Kurama's smug attitude tends to make him overconfident, so make sure he doesn't blow it with this girl of his. Sasuke needs to be social, so don't let him hole himself into a book or training, or he'll start to lose it. And please, please, please for the love of God keep an eye on Naruto. He's too careless sometimes, and it's all because of his Semblance."**

"And make sure they're all in bed by eleven o'clock at the latest." Ruby wagged her finger. "With a glass of warm milk."

"That's you, dunce." Weiss deadpanned.

"So? Warm milk is good for everyone!"

 **Sakura put her hands around Haku's injured one. Her hands began to glow green and the sting Haku felt vanished. The gauze and tape were removed, revealing a hand that looked like it hadn't been damaged. Haku looked up at Sakura, more than confused in the slightest, and balked when he was given a light hug.**

" **Welcome to Team Kakashi, Haku."**

"Okay, so she's not all scary," Jaune said. His teammates nodded in agreement.

" **So...Yang Xiao Long," Tsunade said to her new patient, reading the name off of her chart.**

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Yang asked. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I think I felt a chill go down my spine."

"I think I know." Weiss grinned. "You are about to be judged."

"What?!" Yang balked.

"Oh yeah." Coco nodded. "That's the tone of a parent meeting your boyfriend or teammates for the first time."

Fox, Yatsuhashi and Velvet shuddered.

Yang swallowed heavily and thrust a finger in the air.

"I demand a lawyer!"

"No lawyers here, Yang. This is good old-fashioned kingdom judgment." Weiss smirked and sat back. "Finally."

 **The lilac-eyed blonde that was seated on the bed gave her a cheeky grin. A momentary lapse in vision replaced the golden blonde with a fair skinned girl with straight red hair, more purple-ish eyes, and a rounder face.**

"So, Naruto has a slight mother complex. That explains why he's so attracted to the girl he's dating."

"Hey!" Yang frowned at Weiss' comment. Blake rolled her eyes.

"Doubt it. From what we know, Naruto's mother wasn't around long enough for him to gain a mother complex." The Cat-Faunus pointed out. "If anything, Yang reminds Tsunade of Naruto's mother."

"...Score! I'm like MILF-in-Law to-be!" Yang cheered while Weiss scowled.

"I preferred my suggestion better." The Heiress huffed.

 **Tsunade had to shake herself out of the sight and let a small smile cross her face. "How are you feeling today?"**

" **Fine. A bit annoyed with your pink haired nurse, but overall fine."**

" **Annoyed?" Tsunade asked. She glanced down at the teenager's chest and then looked back up, a bit warily. "She didn't...say anything rude, did she?"**

" **Not to me. Gave my boyfriend a bit of a hard time, though." Yang mumbled in disapproval. She poked herself in the cheek. "Gave him a massive bruise."**

" **...Well, he kind of asked for it." Tsunade deflected with a shrug.**

"What?!" Yang cracked.

"She's known him longer than your other has," Ruby said.

"Ruby, Ruby, Ruby...This is my _Bae_. You don't _bruise_ my Bae. Only I can bruise my Bae."

"Or chip his pelvis." Blake pointed out.

"You're just jealous because my other got laid and yours hasn't." Yang smirked.

Blake's eye twitched and she palmed herself in the face.

" **How did he** _ **ask**_ **for it!?" Yang protested with a frown.**

" **Idiot tried to esca-er, he tried to leave the hospital. Honestly, he gets it from his mother...How, I don't know, but I know he does. She absolutely hated hospitals. Constantly made me go to her when she was pregnant with him..." Tsunade huffed and flipped through Yang's chart.**

"I'm now picturing a wild pregnant woman running away from doctors." Yatsuhashi deadpanned.

"Was she in heels?" Nora asked.

"Nah, you can't run in heels."

" _You_ can't." Coco smirked at him. " _I_ can."

" **Really, if Minato had a bit more of a backbone..."**

 **Yang's ears figuratively perked up.**

" **You speak as if you knew them."**

" **Understatement." Tsunade scoffed. She walked over and began to give Yang the basic checkup routine, starting with blood pressure. After that, she put two fingers on Yang's wrist and checked her watch. "Well, that's good..."**

" **So...?" Yang fished when the buxom blonde doctor began to write in her chart again.**

" **So what?" Tsunade asked.**

" **How well did you know Naruto's parents?"**

"We've got to get the dirt somehow." Yang nodded at her other.

 **Tsunade looked up and arched a brow. "What do you care?"**

" **...Naruto's my boyfriend," Yang said dryly.**

" **Yeah, so?"**

" **...You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"**

"Come on, be a pal! A mammary pal!" Yang groaned.

"I think you're a grade or two lower than she is." Nora snickered.

"No one asked you, Pancake Queen."

" **Maybe." Tsunade smirked and looked back at her chart. She set the clipboard down and pulled the stethoscope off of her neck. "Jacket off."**

" **C'mon..." Yang frowned as she removed her jacket and set it beside her. "Can't you tell me a bit about them?"**

" **What do you care? They're not your parents." Tsunade muttered.**

"Because I want to know?" Yang asked. She groaned in frustration and then gestured at the screen. "Seriously, what is her deal?"

"Judgment~!"

"Shut it, _Sneeze_!"

"Hey!"

 **She began listening to the heartbeat and lungs. "Deep breath. Good. In. Out. ...Good."**

" **Yeah, but-"**

" **Besides, patient-doctor confidentiality." Tsunade interjected. "We shouldn't even be discussing anyone else's medical files."**

" **Wh-Wait, I wasn't-!" Yang was cut off as a thermometer was stuffed into her mouth. "Gark!"**

" **Keep your lips closed and the meter under your tongue." Tsunade turned around and began to look through other charts. "So, since you've admitted to being the Brat's girlfriend, I can go ahead and mark you as sexually active, right?"**

" **I gu-"**

" **Mouth shut.**

"Oh god." Yang slumped down in her seat, horrified. "I'm in total judgment territory. And I don't have a paddle."

"At least you're not in shit creek." Coco smiled.

"Yet." Blake added while Ruby gasped at the swear.

 **Hm...How often would you say you have intercourse?" Tsunade asked. There was a hint of a smile on her face.**

 **Yang gave her a dull stare and then pointed at the thermometer.**

" **Ah. Silly me." Tsunade pulled the thermometer out of Yang's mouth and hummed. "Ninety-six point eight. Good. Now, how often was that? Once a week?"**

" **...Well, we only just started-"**

" **I see." Tsunade wrote down the information.**

" **...Oh, god, you're judging me aren't you?" Yang asked, her eyes wide.**

"At least be fair!" Yang whined and Weiss snickered.

"It wouldn't be judging if it was fair, Yang." Coco pointed out.

" **What? Why would I do that?" Tsunade asked with a tone of innocence that was anything but. "I'm a professional and you just happen to be the girlfriend of my pseudo-grandson, whom was emotionally and mentally scarred by a plethora of girls while he grew up. If I weren't a professional, I would just punt your pretty ass right to the fractured moon. No more warnings required."**

"At least she admits its pretty." Yang sighed. She was trying to some good in this crappy situation.

 **Yang gulped. Tsunade had a sickly sweet smile on her face the whole time she 'threatened' Yang. Putting on the 'badass' pants had to wait, for now. Yang had to put on her blunt hardhat.**

" **...So, do you have a good side I can get on or-?"**

" **That is a very nice wall, isn't it?" Tsunade cut in, humming as she looked at the blank wall on the left side of the room. "Sturdy, solid, very good at keeping the unwanted weather or people out of here, huh?"**

" **...Uhh...Yes?" Yang asked, confused. Talk about an abrupt change of topic.**

"Oh god, I think that's a metaphor." Yang muttered.

" **Yeah, I thought so." Tsunade walked over and raised a hand to it. She curled her finger under her thumb and then flicked the wall.**

 **An explosion immediately followed.**

"I don't think that's a metaphor," Blake said, her eyes wide along with everyone else's.

"...That's...I can't...Why..." Weiss rambled trying to find an explanation for the absurd strength.

"I think that was a threat." Velvet gulped while Coco nodded beside her.

"Yeah. I'm the wall…" the blonde trailed off in horror.

 **Several alarms went off before a public access speaker came to life with a chime.**

" _ **False alarm, just a Code LS-V, people. Just a Code LS-V.**_ **"**

 **Yang coughed some of the excess smoke out and waved a hand in front of her. Once she thought that she could see without risking any obstruction, a lilac eye cracked open. Then it along with its previously closed partner became wide as saucers.**

 **What was once an intact wall, now was absolute rubble. Even the framework didn't hold up, and that was made out of imported Atlesian steel. (Yang forgets, sometimes, how useful and informative Weiss' nationalism-slash-bragging can be.)**

"Hey!" Weiss complained.

"Yang just got out Yang'd." Ruby gaped.

"That's not a thing, Ruby!" Yang snapped.

"The wall disagrees." Blake deadpanned.

" **Sorry about that. Yesterday, that wall offended me by denying me a good window to nurse my hangover near," Tsunade said. She dusted her hand off and went back to the young blonde's chart. "Now, you were saying something about getting on my good side?"**

" **I'll shut up now." Yang mumbled, her eyes glued to the hole in the wall. She had a quick council meeting and came to a unanimous decision: Tsunade was to be the** _ **last**_ **person she ever pissed off.** _ **Ever**_ **.**

"My council agrees wholeheartedly with her council." Yang hugged her boobs protectively.

 **To ensure this stayed true, Yang decided that shutting up would be the** _ **wisest**_ **of moves to make. A rare decision to be made, but she could see the gleam in Tsunade's eyes that was just** _ **asking**_ **for an excuse, any excuse, to turn Yang into rubble just like the poor innocent wall.**

"Seriously, our taxes go into that wall, you know." Jaune sighed. "What is it with blonds and property damage?"

"And what about you?" Nora asked him.

"Me? Simple." Jaune raised a finger pointedly. "I'm an exception."

" **Atta girl. See?" Tsunade smiled. "You're learning already. Now, drop the top, girl. Time for a breast exam."**

"No!" Yang held her boobs tighter. "You'll break them! I need them to seduce my Bae!"

"Stop being a child, Yang," Weiss said with a smirk.

"You let the monster woman touch your mosquito bites!"

"Excuse me?!" Weiss snapped, her cheeks enflamed.

"You heard me!"

 _ **This fear...I-Is this what guys feel after I grab them down there?**_ **Yang thought worriedly.**

"Again, your odd fetish."

"Not a fetish." Yang pouted at her partner.

 **Her eyes widened and her heart rate skyrocketed as Tsunade pulled a pair of rubber gloves on.**

 **In the back of her mind, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like her father, her question was answered in one word.**

 **Yes.**

"And cue creepy sound track!" Nora said in glee.

"Nora, who's side are you on?!" Yang begged.

"The comical side of course, duh!"

 **Elsewhere, the same lilac-eyed teacher from before finished reading his eldest daughter's latest posts on Chirper. He was** _ **not**_ **invading her personal space, he was just checking up on her and her younger sister's adventures. So, as he finished reading about the Breach and what a bummer it was to be locked up in her dorm, he was confident that things were all good.**

 **Then, he came across the** _ **picture**_ **.**

"…Oh dammit." Yang winced while Ruby gained a smug look on her face. The elder of the two sisters glowered at the younger. "Shut up or be punched."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You thought it!"

 **Some blue-eyed, blond-haired, whisker-faced** _ **punk**_ **had one of his arms wrapped around his little sunshine's shoulders. Both were seated on a couch, with the teacher's daughter** _ **in**_ **the punk's** _ **lap**_ **and holding the camera. The both of them flashed held up a 'peace' sign and grinned like fools. The caption beneath the photo read: "At least I've got good company #BFGF."**

 **Lilac eyes turned red.**

 **The scroll in his hand shattered.**

" **... NinjaTUde10...You must** _ **die**_ **..."**

"Da-a-ad!" Yang whined in protest.

"At least he doesn't leave embarrassing comments?"

"Ruby, not helping!" Yang groaned. Her boyfriend was going to Taiyang'd!

* * *

 **REVIEW!  
**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXI: The Night Out**

* * *

"You just _know_ something nefarious is going to happen." Yang grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Can you get your mind out of the gutter for once?" Weiss asked with a curled lip while she folded her arms.

"Can you not be a stuck up princess for five seconds?" Weiss squawked at the smooth retort and Yang smirked as she sat back to relax in her seat. "Yeah. I didn't think so."

" **Ahh, just like Dad makes back home!" Jaune sighed out after he lowered the glass of hard root beer from his mouth, the drink leaving a residue of foam to coat his upper lip. Next to him, Ren nodded and held his sake cup in the flat of his palm, occasionally sipping from it.**

Nora turned to frown at her best friend. "Ren, we've talked about your drinking problem."

"Nora, I don't have a drinking problem." Ren deadpanned.

Nora pointed to the screen accusingly. "With such damning evidence before you?!"

Ren merely sighed. There was no point in arguing when she got like this.

" **See? And you said you didn't think this would be fun!" Kurama chuckled. It had been a month since the evaluations for the Vytal Festival began and a week since the lockdown ended. The Grimm had been effectively pushed back and classes were about to start up once more, so Team NHKS' torturer over the past month and some change decided that the boys needed to relax. He brought them to The Mysterious Tree for a guys' night out, dragging along, after some persuasion on NHKS' part, both males of Team JNPR and all of Team SSSN.**

Ruby frowned. "So they all leave and we stay on campus? That's not fair."

"Hey, we need a guy's night once in a while." Jaune told her. "Besides, you can't drink legally yet."

"Eager to get my little sister drunk, Puke Boy?" Yang asked sharply.

"Wh-What!? No! Absolutely no-That is- I would _never_ -!" Jaune sputtered.

Yang laughed. "Ah, too easy, Jaune."

 **It seemed that the tavern's homely warmth was not exaggerated by Naruto or Yang in any way; all of the customers had smiles on their faces and laughter filled the air. The atmosphere was infectious and all of the boys soon had grins on their faces after a few drinks.**

 **Haku had wandered off to flirt with a few older women, who certainly didn't seem to mind occupying the pretty trap's time.**

"It's always the pretty ones." Weiss pursed her lips.

"Well, when you've got it..." Coco trailed off with a smirk.

 **Sage and Neptune were engaged in a heated drinking game of cents, with Neptune's aim getting worse as he drank more and more after each miss.**

"Guess water boy can't hold his liquor." Yang jeered at the heiress.

"Yes, because holding your liquor is _so_ impressive." Weiss rolled her eyes.

 **The three left Scarlet, Kurama, Ren, Jaune and Sasuke at their rather large table. The Uchiha heir had a bit of a blush stretched across his cheeks and nose, a few giggles escaping him as he read his signed first edition Ninjas of Love in public without a care in the world. He, unlike the other four seated with him, was on his fourth glass.**

"To read it in public like that, so shameless." Blake shook her head.

"Like you're one to talk." Coco snorted. "I've heard of your collection. Vel says you read it in the corner of the library all the time."

"It's not _all_ the time." Blake said tersely, though the blush in her cheeks implied otherwise.

" **Well," the tipsy Uchiha slurred out and pointed a finger at the counter without looking from his drink, "the dumbasses are certainly enjoying themselves."**

 **Kurama, Scarlet, Jaune and Ren all followed his finger.**

 **Then they burst into laughter.**

 **Naruto and Sun were back-to-back, with both holding bottles of ketchup in their hands like microphones, and were singing along to the Vacoan rock song 'Fat Bottom Girls' for the rest of the occupants. It would seem that their inhibitions – or what little there were to begin with – had packed their bags, put on their hats and walked out the door.**

"Now that's a show!" Yang clapped and then put her fingers in her mouth, whistling loudly in approval.

"They're drunk." Velvet pointed out.

"Velvet, we've been over this," Coco said with a smirk. "A free show is a free show."

" **Damn, that 400 Toad Proof has to be destroying their livers." Scarlet chuckled. He tilted his head and pursed his lips when Naruto did a knee-slide across the counter, coming to a stop so that his groin was practically in a girl's face while her friends laughed. "Doesn't he have a girlfriend?"**

"He does." Yang's amused mood soured a little.

" **He does, and I wasn't going to do anything if he screws up, but self-preservation may require it," Kurama said. He snagged another bottle off the tray of a passing waitress. He snickered when the girl slid a few lien cards into his team leader's pants, accompanied by a folded note that undoubtedly had a number.**

"That-that skank!" The buxom brawler glared at the screen.

Blake gained a small smile. "Isn't he the one at fault here, since he's acting like more of a slut really?"

"Blakey, you're my partner! You're supposed to be on my side!" Yang whined.

"She raises a good point." Coco grinned at the younger girl. "He's got the slut thing going on. If you rock it, you rock it."

"He doesn't 'rock' it!" Yang argued with red eyes.

"The lien and phone number say otherwise."

" **In the meantime though…" Kurama whipped his scroll out and snapped a few pictures. "Who am I to complain over easy blackmail?"**

" **Man, wish I could do that," Jaune said before he took another drink. Beside him, Ren shook his head and next to Ren, Sasuke giggled as he turned the page.**

" **No. No you do not." Scarlet took another sip of his tea – being designated the sober one earlier that night – which nearly spewed out when the song changed to a slow piano. "Oh."**

" **My." Ren and Jaune gaped as Naruto got back to his feet, the lien in his pants quickly pocketed, and met Sun at the middle of the counter.**

" **Thank you, God." Kurama looked up at the ceiling with a wide smile across his face before he gave his full attention to the two blonds. The bar had practically gone quiet as Sun sang along with the piano that played.**

" **I can't fight this feeling any longer..." Sun began, his hand on Naruto's shoulder. He then turned away from his fellow blond.**

"Get your hands off of him, you darn dirty ape!" Yang shouted at the show with a shake of her fist.

"Yang!" Blake frowned.

"I know Sun is your love interest or whatever you see him as, but that blond is mine." Yang huffed. "I don't share unless I'm _there_ to watch and/or be a part of it."

"...My poor ears...I will _never_ un-hear that..." Ruby whimpered.

" **Yet, I'm still afraid to let it flow..." His hand dropped from Naruto's shoulder and Sun took a few steps away. "What started out as friendship has grown stronger..." Sun lifted a hand up and crushed it into a fist. "I only wish I had the strength, to let it show~!"**

 **Naruto seemed to take a moment to think over his words – in actuality he was trying to remember the next few lines – before he also turned away and rubbed a hand on his forehead.**

" **I tell myself that I can't hold out forever..." Naruto lowered his hand from his face and looked into a light. "I said there is no reason for my fears..."**

 **Sun rounded where he stood and grinned at Naruto. "Cause I feel so secure when we're together!" He pointed at the whiskered teen. "You give my life direction!"**

" **You make everything so clear!" Naruto continued as he returned the point and the grin.**

" **What." Sage looked up from the drinking game and Neptune followed his gaze.**

" **The." The cup in the blue-haired teen's hand fell to the floor.**

" **Fuck?" Haku asked, staring at his friend and Sun as their bromance tested the boundaries when combined with the music.**

"No-o-o." Yang said lowly, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"He's going to go the distance." Blake egged her on.

"No!"

"Look at the swagger in their steps." Weiss giggled, joining in on Blake's harassment of Yang.

"No! No! No!"

"Hey, can we get more cookies?" Ruby asked.

"NO!"

"Alright, alright! Yeesh..." The young girl pouted while her sister was practically frothing at the lips.

" **And even as I wander-" Sun began, only for Naruto to cut him off.**

" **I'm keeping you in sight!" The two began to walk towards each other and the customers – no, the audience, wondered just what the hell was going to happen. Well, a few could guess, and even less of those numbers were crossing fingers hoping it would.**

"Bitches!" Yang glared at every female extra in the scene.

"You know, there's quite a few guys in that crowd." Ren noted.

"Bitches!"

"...Fair enough." The boy conceded while Nora laughed.

" **You're a candle in the window..." Sun brushed the back of his hand on Naruto's cheek.**

" **On a cold dark winter's night~!" Naruto grabbed onto Sun's hips, the Faunus' tail winding around his right arm. Sun rested his arms on Naruto's shoulders and they both tilted their heads back as they continued.**

" **And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might~!"**

Yang trembled with rage in her seat. It looked like one wrong comment could set her off.

" **...Best. Night. Ever." Kurama whispered as he captured the whole thing on film. He was going to** _ **own**_ **Naruto after this. His grin was nearly face splitting when the two teens began to dance gently together on stage, only hints of their drunkenness present in their slow sway.**

"So he's a drunk slut?" Blake asked. Yang glared daggers at her partner, who grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"You better start sleeping with one eye open..."

" **And I can't fight this feeling anymore!" Sun and Naruto sang as they parted, a few gasped gently in dismay at the action, only to relax as Naruto's left and Sun's right hands clasped together tightly. Naruto looked down at his clenched right fist and Sun looked off to a light, their eyes were closed and wide grins had been plastered on their faces. "I've forgotten what I started fighting for~!"**

" **It's time to bring this ship into the shore!" Naruto declared, his gaze snapping back to Sun's.**

" **And throw away the oars forever!" The Faunus returned, hands grasped with Naruto's as they stared into each other's eyes. They pulled away from each other and took a few steps before they re-embraced, Sun jumping into Naruto's arms.**

 **The crowd screamed in approval.**

"Boo! Boo!" Yang jeered.

"Wow..." Coco was fanning her face. "Is it hot in here, or are the rest of you yaoi fans feeling something, too?"

Both Blake and Velvet flushed and looked away, neither saying anything on the subject. Weiss and Pyrrha nursed pink tinted cheeks, but denied nothing. The guys all shifted awkwardly, not sure how to answer that question while Nora and Ruby didn't seem to care at all.

Or in Ruby's case...

"What's Yow-wee?" she asked, as she didn't even know what that word was.

"A bad, bad, _bad_ thing for my Bae." Yang snarled.

"It is not. You're just clingy." Coco waved the raging blonde off. "It's slang to refer to homosexuals in certain media."

"...Ohh...But-?"

"Let's not get into it now, Ruby and just watch," Pyrrha said quickly. The youngest girl present pouted and crossed her arms.

"Fine...!"

" **But I can't fight this feeling anymore! I've forgotten what I started fighting fo-o-or!" The two blonds sang together while Naruto spun them in place. "And if I have to I'll crawl along the floor! Come crashing through your door!"**

 **Naruto dropped Sun back down to his feet and the two threw their arms out to their sides.**

" **Baby, I can't fight this feeling any mo-o-ore!" The note was held for a good three seconds before the two blondes embraced again, twisting their bodies in a passionate kiss. The crowd lost it and applauded** _ **wildly**_ **.**

Yang was quiet, which made everyone nervous. Her eyes were stuck in a blindingly red glare on the screen.

Blake tentatively poked her friend in the arm.

"Yang?" She asked. The blond continued her silence.

"I think her brain shorted out." Ruby said, poking Yang's leg with her foot. "Happened before once, when Dad took her keys after she drove home drunk."

"I'm sure she'll reboot." Weiss shrugged.

 **Haku was dumbstruck, his hands clapping on autopilot.** _ **Naruto totally just kissed Sun. Holy shit.**_

 **Neptune's eyes rolled into his head and he hit the ground with a thud.**

"The yaoi is too great for some," Coco said knowingly.

"I think he's trying to process his friend's actions while intoxicated." Weiss protested.

"Uh-huh."

 **Sage stared in disbelief at the sight of Sun and Naruto as they broke from their kiss and began to bow.** _ **Was it all a drunken act?**_

"Oh, it was a drunken something alright." Velvet muttered.

" **Wow, and I thought the ovation at the dance was for the Hooligans," Scarlet said as he clapped.**

" **I hope they don't want another blond." Jaune muttered while he and Ren applauded with the audience.**

"That's not the kind of threesome I want!" Jaune said in a panic.

Pyrrha glanced at him, "What?"

"It's not a threesome unless I'm there!" Yang cried out suddenly.

"Oh," Coco smiled. "Look whose back!"

"Yeah, sorry." Yang scratched her head. "What happened? My brain farted, I think."

"Your boytoy kissed Kitty's boytoy."

"Ohh…" Yang turned to glare red eyes at Blake. "I blame you."

"Thanks, _partner_."

" **We can never tell the girls." Ren noted.**

" **Oh, yeah. Yang would kill us." Jaune agreed.**

" **...We'd never know why, either."**

" **Yep."**

" **Best. Night. Ever." Sasuke grinned as he turned a page in his book.**

" **Oh, yeah." Kurama nodded in agreement as he continued to record.** _ **Coco will pay big bucks for this.**_

"That I would!" The girl nodded. She turned to her only female teammate. "Vel, your boytoy is on my good side. Better keep a good grip on him."

"Coco!"

" **...Something** _ **amazing**_ **just happened." Yang noted as she looked up from her magazine, eyes narrowed in thought.**

"And we weren't there!" Yang bemoaned to her other.

 **Her team and the rest of Team JNPR, lacking the phallic organ that would've allowed them to go out on the guys' night, went out to shop and then to a very popular café. The six were seated around a table, their purchases in either their bags or hands. Pyrrha shared a look with Nora before she set her new novel down and furrowed her brows together.**

" **How do you know?" she asked.**

" **There was a jiggle in the council's force. Something** _ **amazing**_ **made them speak to me." Yang mumbled while her lilac eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other, trying to determine of the origin of the 'amazing' event she missed.**

Yang stared down at her bosom and patted them. "Good girls."

"Yang, stop talking to your breasts as if they are actual people," Weiss said dryly.

"The girls have minds of their own, too!"

" **...Right..." Weiss stared at the blonde for a good few seconds before she returned her attention to her new purchase. She had to know whether or not Shepherd rekindled the relationship with her longtime on-off boyfriend or if she goes after the new blood.**

"Gag me." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"It's literature!" Weiss protested.

"That's what Blake says all the time." Ruby pointed out.

Blake glared at her. "Don't bring me into this."

" **Aw, man...Why's everything so expensive?" Ruby asked around the cookie she nibbled on, silver eyes glued to the prices on the various accessories or parts listed in her latest edition of Remnant's Rifles.**

" **Is no one else as concerned as I am?!" Yang asked.**

" **About what?" Blake drawled as she turned the page in the most recent release of the Ninjas of Love series. Her eyes glazed over for a moment, and Yang frowned. That only happened when Blake was either thinking about the secret Naruto told her – which he has yet to share! – or when a fish-like odor trapped her nose.**

"…Not true." Blake mumbled with a pout.

"Very true," Weiss said with a smirk while Ruby and Yang snickered.

 **Curious, and more than mildly miffed that no one else cared about the council's disturbance, Yang stood up and walked around the table to peek over Blake's shoulder, scanning across the current page of the third chapter, entitled 'The Event'.**

 _ **The excitable little runt clambered onto the desk and crouched in front of Souske Uchiwa, peering narrowed blue eyes into the seemingly unfazed onyx orbs.**_

"I can only wonder who that is." Weiss sarcastically drawled.

"So, he basically takes events that had happened and makes them into books? Doesn't that mean that Naruto gets royalties?" Yang asked.

"He should." Weiss nodded.

Yang's eyes shined with greed-influenced glee.

 _ **Their hate resonated from one to the other, so full of dislike that it could've been palpable in the air.**_

 _ **Then the unthinkable happened.**_

 _ **The boy seated a row ahead of them, Kibble, leaned back in his seat. His head knocked against Rut-Nao's rear, throwing off his balance so that the young boy had nowhere to go but forward. Eyes widened in horror on either boy's face and time seemed to slow. Something soft, a bit dry, but still unwanted pressed against Rut-Nao's lips.**_

 _ **A horrified scream escaped the mouth of the fan-girl seated to Souske's right, and all eyes were drawn to the terrifying predicament. Rut-Nao and Souske were**_ **kissing** _ **, their lips locked and eyes wide. It held for a good four seconds before they snapped out of their daze.**_

"So the truth finally comes out!" Nora punched her palm with her other hand.

"But we knew about it." Ren pointed out.

"Yes, but not how it happened!"

"True enough."

" **...Oh...My...God!" Yang gasped, her lilac eyes wide and her ears burning hotly. Blake jumped and quickly shut her book, the blush on her face just as dark as it was on Yang's.**

" **Yang! How many times-!?"**

" **They kissed!? Are you** _ **serious**_ **!?** _ **That's**_ **the secret!? Blake! You should've told-!"**

" **Do not sneak up on me when I'm-!"**

" **I mean, now I know** _ **why**_ **Naruto didn't want to say anything, but god** _ **damn**_ **! I really could've gotten a threesome if you'd-!"**

"What is your fixation with threesomes?" Weiss asked the blond.

Coco scoffed. "The fact that you're even asking says very little of your _bold_ love life."

Yang nodded in agreement. "She's got you there, Weiss."

Weiss turned red. "I have a perfectly functional love life!"

"Uh-huh." The two girls drawled.

" **Would the both of you** _ **please**_ **stop? I don't want to hear** _ **any**_ **spoilers!" Yang and Blake turned to look at the speaker and found Nora glaring daggers at them. She gestured to the green book in her hand, the same book that was in Blake's "I'm still reading about Nimato and Koo-Sheena's last night together, so if you don't** _ **mind**_ **!"**

" **...N-Nora?" Weiss began, horrified. "You read...** _ **That**_ **, too?"**

Blake looked at Nora in annoyance. Nora merely shrugged.

"Meh, it's decent." She said

"Decent?!" Blake nearly shrieked. Coco and Velvet both sent disapproving looks to the orange-haired girl.

" **Yes, mostly for the fights, all the lovey-dovey stuff is garbage." Nora rolled her eyes. "I mean, have you heard some of these lines? '** _ **You're**_ **my** _ **favorite topping flavor**_ **?' Geez, it's like a couple of old horn-dogs got together and wrote this. Yeah, the sex scenes are hot, but come on, who uses lines like** _ **those**_ **?"**

"Wow, lame." Yang agreed, Blake glared at her.

"It is not!"

" **I-It's the subtext!" Blake protested.**

"Precisely!" Blake nodded.

" **Hey, I read it late at night to get rid of some stress, but I'm not going to deny that it's got terrible dialogue." Nora shrugged.**

 **Blake had nothing to say to that. She settled on frowning and crossing her arms over her chest, her closed book still in hand. Weiss sent her a victorious smirk that oozed superiority and smugness that only the life of a monopolizing company's heiress could.**

 **Ruby blinked and furrowed her brow. "How do you get rid of stress when you're supposed to sleep?"**

 **Eyes turned to her and stared in disbelief.**

" **...Ruby...What's it like in your world?" Yang asked.**

"Very white, very innocent, and-" Yang listed off.

"-There's lots of ammo!" Ruby cut her off in a chipper tone.

"Figures." All of her friends rolled their eyes.

 **Ruby frowned at her. "What is that supposed to mean!?"**

" **Nothing, just read your magazine," Yang said with a sigh. She went back to her seat and picked her magazine back up. She turned the page and grinned. "Cool, the I-No Pigs are going to perform live at the Vytal Festival!"**

" **I didn't like their last album," Pyrrha said with a shrug. "** _ **Boy Toy**_ **. Seemed too...house."**

"Now there's a music group I could listen to." Yang smiled.

"You know, they talk a lot about music in this show." Ruby pointed out. "Is it part of the musical genre?"

"Ugh, musicals." Nora stuck her tongue out in disapproval.

" **I think that's what they were going for." Yang countered.**

 **Thus began a debate over what was and was not good music that went long into the night.**

 **Early the next morning, after he ensured that the boys had safely returned to their dorm rooms, Jiraiya ventured to the guesthouse to speak with his old teammate. She was as early as riser as he was and met him in the makeshift hospital's cafeteria, a cup of tea before her and black coffee set before him.**

" **So...You're really doing this?" Tsunade asked, eyes locked on the white-haired man across from her.**

 **Jiraiya grinned. "Why? Gonna miss me, Princess?"**

" **Not in a million years, Pervert."**

" **Hey!" Jiraiya pointed at her, a stern frown on his face. "That's** _ **super**_ **pervert, thank you very much."**

 **Tsunade smirked. "Never going to grow up, are you?"**

" **Wha-I'll have you know that I've done nothing but grow up, Princess," Jiraiya huffed. He grinned and waggled his brows at her. "Wanna see?"**

"And we see where the lines come from." Weiss shook her head.

" **You're incorrigible, Jiraiya." Tsunade sighed.**

" **Ah, but that's why you love me!"**

" **Like a tumor."**

"Wow, it's like a big boobed Weiss. Only she'll never fill out like that."

Weiss covered her chest.

"Shut up." She snapped at Yang, who just puffed up her well-endowed chest in response.

 **Jiraiya chuckled at the insult while Tsunade smiled lightly. The white-haired man picked up his mug and took a sip of his coffee, smacking his lips at the bitter taste. He thought for a moment, taking in the silence between them and only spoke up again just as Tsunade sipped from her tea.**

" **You're not going to run off once the festival starts, are you?" Jiraiya asked softly. Tsunade arched a brow and set her cup down.**

" **The medics here are trained professionals, unlike my students," Tsunade said. Her lips pulled into another soft smile while her eyes narrowed. "Why, are** _ **you**_ **going to miss me, Jiraiya?"**

" **Aspects of you. Especially your bountiful, beautiful, expressive** _ **eyes**_ **." Jiraiya grinned at the blonde woman while her brown eyes narrowed.**

"Does by eyes, does he mean…?" Ruby trailed off.

"Yes." Velvet answered with a flush.

"Ohh."

" **...I swear to god, Jiraiya, if we weren't in Vale..." Tsunade grumbled while her knuckles cracked as her fingers curled into a fist.**

" **Good thing we are," Jiraiya said with a smile. He looked out the window at Beacon's clock tower. "Keep an eye on the brats, will ya? At least until I come back."**

" **Do you really have to ask?"**

" **Well, times change people, but you know..." Jiraiya trailed off.**

" **Yeah." Tsunade mumbled under her breath. She tapped her cup and looked at her longtime teammate. "You're sure you have to-?"**

" **Princess, don't go getting soft on me now. It's been years since then, maybe things have changed." Jiraiya shrugged. He took another sip of his drink and then grinned as he set the mug down. "If they haven't, then all I can say is that it's my job now to help the next generation, and set a good example for them. For that, I'll gladly lay down my life, and I'll be smiling the whole time." He chuckled at her amused smile and gave her a wink before he stood up. "It's what makes us old guys so cool, y'know."**

"He may be a pervert, but he does show some noble qualities." Pyrrha had to agree.

"Please don't try to point out that he has redeeming qualities, Pyrrha. It's frightening to consider he's even remotely capable of being a real person." Weiss chided.

 **An accord was struck just as the bells in Vale began to announce the morning's arrival. A nearly empty cup of coffee remained across from Tsunade and she watched with hardly concealed concern as a tall figure walked off of Beacon's grounds, heading towards the city of Vale, throwing a thumb up over his shoulder in an effort to reassure her.**

"Cool guys don't look at the girl." Nora nodded sagely.

 **The two legends were not the only ones to have an interesting morning, as Team RWBY was awoken by sudden knocking on their door. Ruby, already half-awake, dropped from her precariously hanging bed to the floor and ambled to the door, covering her mouth and letting out a yawn.**

" **Hello?" Ruby asked as she opened the door. Silver eyes that were half-covered by drooped eyelids looked up to the tall blond that stood on the other side of the door. Blue eyes sparkled down at her and a wide smile spread along a grizzled jaw. He wore a beige button-up shirt with a burgundy collar that revealed his chest underneath a brown vest that had a silver shoulder pad over his right arm while a red band was wrapped around his left. Tan slacks that were tucked into brown boots covered his legs. A few seconds ticked by before Ruby's eyes went wide as she recalled who usually wore such an attire.**

"I didn't know you had an older brother." Blake muttered at her partner.

Yang snickered at the statement, making Blake frown in confusion.

" **D-Dad?" Ruby stared at her father along with her now slightly more awake teammates.**

" _That's_ your dad?" Blake asked while Coco gaped along with an awestruck Weiss.

"Yeah, I got all his good looks." The blonde bombshell smiled broadly.

 **After a beat of silence, the youngest freshman student of Beacon squealed in joy and shot at the tall blond man. The use of her semblance left red rose petal-like flakes in the air that dissipated as they fell to the ground from where she stood. Her arms wrapped around her dad's sides and she closed her eyes. She smiled up at him when she felt him give her a hug in return. "Dad! I missed you!"**

" **I missed you too, Ruby." Taiyang Xiao-Long smiled down at his youngest daughter. He held her at arms' length and brushed her hair out of her face with a hand. "It's just not the same at Signal without my rambunctious little rose driving her uncle crazy with pestering requests."**

" **Hey! I'm not little!" Ruby pouted.**

" **After everything possibly embarrassing he said, that's what you focused on?" Weiss asked incredulously while Blake looked between Yang and Taiyang, yellow eyes wide.**

"What embarrassing things did he say?" Ruby looked confused. The others looked at Yang, who shook her head

"She's a _real_ daddy's girl. Trust me." Yang sighed.

 **The resemblance was uncanny.**

 **Taiyang saw his older daughter drop down and beamed a grin. "Yang!"**

" **Hey dad," Yang said, giving him a tired wave.**

 **Taiyang opened his arms out. "Hug?"**

" **Dad...shower..." Yang looked between the vacant bathroom and then her father. On one hand, she could go give her dad a hug, she** _ **had**_ **missed him. But on the other hand no one was rushing to the shower, meaning if she could get in there before Weiss, she could be ready, fully wake up and then give her dad a hug. Then she'd be more alert and prepared to introduce him to her – Yang's lilac eyes went wide and she ducked into the bathroom, intent on showering fast.**

"Ah, the boyfriend scenario. Enjoy that." Coco smiled while Yang looked nervous now.

 **Taiyang's shoulders slumped and he pouted while Weiss squawked at Yang's capitalizing action. She growled in annoyance while Blake shook her head and pulled her scroll out. A second later, the lone Faunus of the team sent a message that would go ignored for the better part of the morning, not out of cruelty, but out of mindless intent.**

"I try to help and it does nothing. Idiot." Blake shook her head.

" **That was weird." Ruby muttered as she scratched her head. She smiled as Zwei trotted over and bounded into Taiyang's embrace, the man overcoming his funk and rejoicing at the reunion with his best friend.**

" **Not to mention rude." Weiss huffed.**

" **Not really," Blake said under her breath. She showed the confused heiress the message she sent and to whom she'd sent it, resulting in the white-haired girl releasing a small snort.**

" **I'd have left him in the dark. Goodness knows he deserves it." Weiss muttered, her arms crossed over her chest.**

"You are a cruel, cruel girl, Weiss." Coco stated.

"Someone has to be." The heiress grumbled.

" **And that is why you fail at ninja-tude." Blake retorted, smirking lightly. The glare she received was well worth it.**

"I never wanted to be a ninja!" Weiss groaned. "Ninjas are stupid!"

Blake gave her a stare. "Blasphemy."

* * *

 **REVIEW!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXII: A Father's Wrath**

"You are so busted."

"Ruby, shut up." Yang said, hints of worry in her tone.

Weiss looked incredibly pleased.

"Stop looking so smug."

"Can't help it." The heiress pleasantly hummed.

 **"Oh, god, my head..." Sasuke let out a groan as he sat up in his bed. He pressed a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Jeez, who made the sun so bright?"**

 **An item was thrown expertly from the other side of the room and nailed Sasuke in the face. The headache he awoke with suddenly intensified as he was knocked from his bed to the floor. With murderous intent in his gaze, Sasuke got up off the ground and sought out both the object that caused him pain and the one who'd dared throw it. His eyes fell on one bagged-eyed Haku Yuki, who'd lacked his usual sleeping-wear and was clad in a green bathrobe. Pressed to his head was an ice pack the size of a cat or small dog.**

 **"Sasuke. Do. Not. Yell." Haku's voice was hardly above a whisper, but the volatile tone that accompanied it reminded Sasuke that he knew very little about Haku, and hadn't really seen the boy when he was genuinely upset, nor even drunkenly upset.**

 **Hangover upset Haku, Sasuke decided, was not someone he wanted to piss off.**

 **"Sorry." Sasuke held a hand up and looked around his bed. He found the offending object and held it up in disbelief. "Is this-?"**

 **"Yes."**

 **"...God, Haku..." Sasuke failed to find words and then palmed his face. The pain intensified yet again and Sasuke snapped as consequence. "Who throws a fucking** _ **shoe**_ **!?"**

"Ruby does." Yang pointed at her.

"You took my chocolate."

"A small piece!" Yang complained.

Ruby narrowed her gaze. "My chocolate."

 **"For the love of the Ancient's Cthulhu!" Kurama's voice roared from the bathroom. "Shut the fuck u-"**

 **Kurama's shout was cut off by the sound of voracious vomiting.**

"Gonna want him to brush, huh Vel?"

"Velvet just covered her eyes while her team lead laughed.

 **Sasuke wasn't all that affected by it. Kurama knew what his limit was when drinking before the resulting hangover would become as violent as it was now. Haku, however, turned as green as his bathrobe and rolled over on his bed, losing his stomach's content into a container of some sort.**

 **"Man, hangovers suck." The voice of the unusually unhappy Uzumaki muttered as he rose up from his slumber. Sasuke looked over at him for a brief second, then did a quick double take.**

 **Naruto's comforter was bundled up on the ground and in its place was a mountain of bras, varying in size, shape, make and color. Not a one of them looked like they were owned by anyone outside of the school grounds.**

"He did not…" Yang frowned.

"He did! The filthy pervert!" Weiss yelled.

"He better have at least taken mine first!"

"That's what's wrong for you?!" Blake gaped.

"Yes."

 **Naruto seemed rather indifferent over the amount of brassieres that acted as his bedding, going so far as to nonchalantly pick a stray D cup that was draped over part of his face and toss it aside.**

 **"So** _ **that**_ **'s where you and Sun ran off to? You made a raid?" Sasuke asked incredulously.**

 **"...I guess so." Naruto muttered, his brow furrowed as he looked down at his collection. He blinked. "Huh, none of these are any of Team RWBY's..."**

"…He's almost dead to me if Dad wasn't going to do it first." Yang muttered.

 **"How do you know that?" A groaning Haku asked as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

 **"Super Pervert Godfather." Sasuke and Naruto deadpanned.**

 **"Right." Haku nodded while Naruto picked up a rather risqué black bra that had gotten stuck under his back and squinted his eyes while he examined it, mostly in part of the way the lighting stung his retinas. The blond team leader's eyes went wide and all color left his skin, leaving him pale and in shock.**

 **"Oh crap..." Naruto whispered with growing concern. "I think these are Velvet's..."**

"What?!" Velvet squeaked.

 **"...Bullshit." Sasuke and Haku appeared immediately at his side.**

 **"No, yeah, these are Velvet's, because here's Coco's.**

"What?" Coco frowned, "Yeah, those are mine…sneaky brat."

 **Hm, that's a bit disturbing. Meh, I'll suppress that later. Now why did I-Oh, right! I got these for Kurama!" Naruto chuckled and hopped out of his bed. He went to the bathroom and threw the door open with a loud bang. "Kurama! I knew you'd feel like shit in the morning, so here's something to make you feel better!"**

"Oh please no." Velvet groaned in embarrassment.

 **A set of red eyes with slit pupils and black sclera glanced up. For a brief moment, Naruto was surprised to see his Faunus friend without his usual set of sunglasses or night mask, but shrugged it off. If he had the same after-morning reaction to the overindulgence of alcohol that Kurama did, he would probably forgo the usual concealing of his most unnerving features.**

"Whoa, dark, yet strangely alluring." Coco hummed. "Vel, thoughts?"

"Shoot me."

"I agree, very sexy."

 **The eyes of the Faunus in question glared daggers at the hyperactive blond from where Kurama rested his head on the side of the toilet.**

 **"Naruto, I'm only going to tell you this once. Get out, shut the door, and go** _ **die**_ **in a deep, deep hole."**

"Dad'll see to that."

"Ruby!" Yang shouted at her sister.

 **"Sure thing, bud, but first I got this from your Velvet-cake." Naruto tossed the bra at Kurama and shut the door, completely unfazed by Kurama's surprised yelp and the sputtering that followed, before he went back to his bed and scratched his head. "Now why the hell did I take only bras...?"**

 **"Maybe Sun would know?" Sasuke suggested while he put the ice pack he snatched from Haku against his head.**

 **Meanwhile, a certain golden tailed Faunus was trying, and failing due to his throbbing headache, to come up with a reason for his team as to why his bed was covered entirely by panties of various materials, colors and sizes. It would later be determined that, like with Naruto's collection, not one article belonged to a member of Team RWBY.**

"Huh, so he's a butt guy. I can dig it." Yang nodded, and looked at the scowling Blake. "What? It's not like he took from you."

"Not the point, Yang."

 **"Maybe..." Naruto agreed as he picked another bra up. He shrugged and tossed it to the other side of the room. "I'll deal with it later. All I did was steal 'em while people were sleeping, so no harm no foul. ...I think."**

"No, no it's still a crime…against women." Pyrrha shook her head.

"I hope he didn't go in mine." Nora frowned.

 **"Yeah, because that's not asking for karma to come into play at all." Haku muttered while he became fascinated with a green D-cup sized brassier. He furrowed his brow. "This seems famil-Oh god, Naruto, you didn't."**

 **"Hm?" Naruto blinked while he lazily spun a pink lacy bra around on his finger by the strap.**

"That's mine!" Nora whined, "Boo! Give it back!"

 **"Remember when you were plotting a prank in Team JNPR's room?" Haku set the bra down and gave his team leader a hard stare, though the bright red blush on his face did little to make him look intimidating. He pointed at the bra he just set down. "Those were in...Pyrrha's...drawer...And those pink ones..."**

"Nice design, Pyrrha!" Yang gave her a thumbs up.

Pyrrha just looked embarrassed.

 **Naruto tilted his head and stopped spinning the bra. His eyes went wide again before he squeezed them shut and he shuddered as he tossed the bra away.**

 **"God, those were touching...** _ **that**_ **! Man, what the hell is wrong with Nora? I mean, geez, that thing was as black as the night sky and had a mind of its own!" He muttered while he dropped the bra in his grasp and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How she's not bow-legged, I don't understand..."**

Everyone looked to Nora.

"What? A girl's got needs. Be mature, geez."

 **"Maybe she doesn't use it, er, there..." Haku suggested, his face burning bright as a line of red trailed down from his left nostril.**

 **"...Huh, so all of us** _ **are**_ **perverted," Naruto said with a sly smirk.**

 **"Or, here's a thought, whatever you're talking about isn't Nora's." Sasuke suggested. "Maybe it's Ren's."**

"What?" Ren croaked out.

"We share." Nora said with a completely straight face. But if you looked closely, you could see the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Nora!"

 **Both Naruto and Haku's necks nearly snapped with how fast they turned to look at Sasuke, their skin pale again.**

 **"...What?" Sasuke asked with a blink. "You're talking about some kind of muscle relaxer, right?"**

"I don't think that's what they-"

"Nora, stop talking. Now."

"…Yeah okay."

 **"...Sort of..." Naruto and Haku continued to stare at the onyx-eyed teen. They shared a concerned look and then had a quick partner huddle up. Sasuke arched a brow as the two whispered back and forth quickly. They occasionally looked back at Sasuke before falling back into their heated and hushed debate. Finally, after a few minutes, their huddle broke and they faced Sasuke with concerned frowns.**

 **"Sasuke, you do know how women masturbate, right?" Naruto asked.**

 **"...Seriously, Naruto? Yes. I know. I had to tell you when we were kids!"**

"Is this what guys seriously talk about?" Ruby asked Jaune.

"I don't!"

"Yes." Coco told her with a small smile.

"Weird." Ruby knitted her brow.

 **"Then you know what a vibrator is, right?" Haku asked.**

 **"A what?"**

 **That morning quickly turned into one of the strangest conversations the boys of Team NHKS would ever have, and little did they know that the rest of the day would be just as eventful for their team leader.**

 **"I'm so glad to hear you both have been doing well!" Taiyang smiled happily from where he sat on Blake's bed, the other four girls – all showered and ready for the day – seated across from him. He smiled gratefully at his daughters' teammates. "Thanks for keeping an eye out for my girls, I know they can be a handful. Right, Zwei?"**

"He has no idea." Weiss deadpanned.

"Harsh?" Ruby asked.

"I could be harsher."

"No, that's good!"

 **Zwei barked in agreement. Yang and Ruby sent the corgi betrayed frowns while Blake shook her head in bemusement and Weiss rolled her eyes.**

 **"Like you wouldn't believe." The Schnee heiress snorted. "Ruby's...** _ **luck**_ **, has gotten us into more than enough messes. And then there's Yang's-"**

 **"Tardiness, yeah, sorry about that. I just forget to wake up sometimes, you know?" Yang's sheepish laugh seemed like it was forced, and that alone earned her more than one odd look.**

"Weiss, come on, be a gal!" Yang pleaded.

"Hm." Weiss with thought as she stroked her chin idly.

 **Ruby furrowed her brows in thought. "But you're only tardy when you go hang out with Naru-"**

 **"Ko, yeah. Me and** _ **Naruko**_ **became quick friends, almost as fast as me and Blakey!" Yang cut in again as she slung her arm around Blake's neck. Under her breath, so low that no one else save for Zwei heard her, the blonde hissed through her teeth. "Play along and I will buy you all the tuna you want."**

"Bribery?" Blake raised a brow.

"You don't know my dad." Yang bit her bottom lip.

 **Blake's eyes glossed over slightly and she shook her head. No. Now was not the time to fall into Yang's pocket. Besides, she already did more than she needed to by sending a scroll message.**

 **Not to mention Yang would probably twist the words later to insinuate tuna meaning something inappropriate.**

"I have some standards!"

She gained many a questioning look.

"…All of you suck."

Coco grinned at her. "More like you're sucking up to your team."

Yang just glared at her, why were all her friends so cruel?

 **Thoughts and memories of Yang's more than annoying pranks pulled alongside her goof of a boyfriend went through Blake's head. A particular memory involving a laser pointer, an herbal substance, and a dog whistle made Blake's eye twitch.**

"Uh…" Yang looked worried while Blake glared at her.

 _ **You'll never get an opportunity like this,**_ **a voice that sounded suspiciously like Weiss whispered in the back of Blake's head.** _ **It's the biggest prank, no, the**_ **best** _ **prank you could pull on Nang. They'd forgive you eventually!**_

"Weiss, stop trying to get me in trouble!" Yang yelled at her.

"It's not my fault blake's subconscious sounds like me." Weiss paused. "Well, her vengeful side."

 _ **No! You can't Blake!**_ **Another voice, one that sounded fairly similar to Ruby cried out in protest.** _ **Naruto and Yang are your friends! You don't go around and stab your friends in the back! They didn't care about your past in the White Fang, and Naruto's an honorary Ninja-bro! You can't betray your ninja-bro!**_

"Yes you can." Weiss pointed out.

"I don't think that's really fair." Pyrrha admitted.

"Exactly!" Ruby nodded strongly.

 _ **Quiet, you! Blake, listen to me. If you don't say something now, you'll never get another chance. For all the Ninja-tude in the world, what's the best way to prank a ninja? Blow him up before he knows you're his target.**_ **Inner-Weiss cackled madly.**

"Inner-Weiss makes a point." Blake narrowed her eyes in thought.

 _ **Be righteous and true, and your friends will do the same for you!**_ **Inner-Ruby chanted.**

"What is this? Rhyme time?" Nora cocked her head.

 _ **You are a ninja, Blake Belladonna! Embrace the ninja-tude! Embrace the chaos!**_ **Inner-Weiss snapped.**

 _ **No! Be the Black Knight!**_ **Inner-Ruby cried.**

 _ **Embrace your Shadow Warrior side!**_ **Inner-Weiss decreed.**

 _ **Black Knight!**_

 _ **Shadow Warrior!**_

 _ **Black Knight!**_

 _ **Shadow Warrior!**_

 _ **Black Knight!**_

 _ **Shadow Warrior!**_

"Blake," Ruby looked worried. "I think you might have, uh, issues."

"I'm starting to agree with you…"

 _ **...I think I should talk to Kurenai about these voices. And, perhaps, maybe lay off the midnight snack.**_ **Blake thought.**

"They go straight to your butt. Well, in your case that's a good thing." Yang winked.

"Ha-ha."

Coco tilted her head. "I gotta agree with her on that one."

Blake sank deeper into the couch.

 **Though both brought up good points, and were very alarming in their sudden appearance, Blake knew she had to do something. Whatever action she took, it would determine how the rest of her week would go. A prank on Naruto and Yang of this measure risked being retaliated against, but on the other hand, if she didn't do anything, Blake would remain the silent target of her friends' unintentionally slightly mean-spirited jokes.**

 _ **Then the only action I can take is...**_

 **"You must have hit your head on something if you're mispronouncing your boyfriend's name like that." Blake drawled.**

Yang looked Blake dead in the eye. "You're dead to me."

Blake just gave her a thumbs up.

 _ **A preemptive strike!**_ **Inner-Weiss cheered.**

 _ **Seriously, where did you come from? Are you a leftover from my midnight snack?**_ **Blake's internal question was inquired with a mastered mask of indifference on her face while she received a look of horrified betrayal from Yang and stares from the equally shocked Weiss and Ruby. Oh, she understood why Yang and Naruto pranked her like this now. The looks on their faces were absolutely hilarious.**

"So dead."

"I love you too, Yang." Blake smiled like that cat who ate the canary.

 **Well, they were until Blake looked at Yang's father, who had suddenly gone rigid. His right eye gained a heavy twitch, almost violent really, and his smile became strained. Zwei, who was glued to the man's side as soon as he walked in the room, bolted from the bed into the bathroom and the door slammed shut behind him.**

 **Blake could've sworn she heard the door lock, too.**

"He can do that." Ruby happily informed. She was so proud of her baby!

 **"I'm sorry, did you just say my baby girl has a ...A b-boyfriend?" Taiyang asked. His strained smile widened even further. "B-Because if you did, then that means, those** _ **pictures**_ **I dreamt about a few days ago weren't dreams. And that would mean...Some...filthy...** _ **bastard**_ **...was touching my sweet little sunshine..."**

"Little sunshine?" Weiss looked amused while Yang turned pink.

"He's real dotting."

"Of course, sunshine."

"You can't call me that!"

 **"She meant my girlfriend, Dad!" Yang said quickly, possibly trying to salvage the situation.**

"Really?" Velvet asked her.

"It's better than him finding out I'm dating a guy, trust me."

 **A finger was pointed at her.**

 **"Yang Xiao Long, you will sit there and be** _ **quiet**_ **." Taiyang muttered, his eye still twitching violently. "You and I both know damn well that if you were dating a girl, your uncle would've found out about it by now."**

 **"How would Uncle Qrow know about it?" Ruby asked, confused. "Isn't he away on a Hunting trip?"**

 **"Ruby, catch." Taiyang tossed an object to his youngest daughter. The girl squealed as she caught the item and discovered what it was.**

 **"A new chamber cleaning set for Crescent Rose! I'm going to use it right now!" Ruby declared as she zipped out of the room to her locker, fully intent on doing as she claimed, leaving her teammates and sullen sister alone with her disturbingly calm father.**

"Dammit, the one thing I could have used to save my bae." Yang cursed.

"You'd use me?!" Ruby exclaimed at her sister, looking hurt.

"Your cuteness is the only thing that makes him yield!"

 **"So. I'll ask again." Taiyang leaned forward and gave Blake a heavy stare. "Does Yang – my sweet, innocent, hotheaded bundle of sunshine who never tries to do anything wrong – have a** _ **boyfriend**_ **?"**

"I think he's completely wrong. You do wrong things all the time." Weiss told the blonde.

" _He_ doesn't know that." Yang hissed.

 **Blake felt Yang's glare boring into the side of her head. However, Taiyang's eyes were an equally frightening shade of red. And frankly, he seemed to be the type of father who didn't** _ **mind**_ **going to jail. Hell, the man, if he was anything like his daughter, would probably run the joint before his sentence was even a week in action.**

The sister nodded to this.

 **"Yes."**

 **Stiffly, Taiyang rose from his seat and headed for the door. His eldest daughter was hot on his heels as soon as he started to rise. The buxom blonde protested and pleaded with her father to calm down and let her explain as he made his way out of the room. Before he left, Taiyang's suddenly cold exterior melted away to reveal the warm, sunny persona that had greeted them that morning.**

 **"It was a pleasure meeting you, girls."**

 **Then he left with a protesting Yang in tow. Weiss turned to Blake, wide eyed and still in shock.**

 **"Wow. Do her jokes really annoy you that much?" Weiss asked.**

 **"...No." Blake mumbled.**

 **"Then why did you-?"**

 **"I am a ninja. Fear my ninja-tude."**

"Feared, and noted." Weiss nodded.

 **"...Noted."**

 **Jaune Arc was having a pretty good morning. Coming from a farm and small town like he did, Jaune was used to drinking to relax. Or at least, had been around long enough to help his mother tend to his father and sisters' hangovers after they drank themselves sick.**

"Jaune, you're the guy I'm coming to see after I drink a lot." Coco smiled.

"Uh, yay?"

"Oh, it'll be."

Pyrrha just glared at Coco.

 **A quick reveal of this trick to his male teammate, who was mysteriously unaffected by drinks he had the night before,**

Ren got a few curious glances.

"I can hold my liquor."

 **and the proper brew was made and down within the first hour of his waking.**

 **Now, fully dressed and intent to train with their ungodly energetic teacher Guy, Jaune opened his door ready to face almost anything that would get in his way.**

 **He was** _ **not**_ **ready to walk face-first into a double-barrel shotgun.**

"Huh, classic." Ruby nodded.

Yang on the other hand covered her eyes. "He pulled that thing out? From where!?"

Ugh, her dad was so embarrassing.

 **"AHH!" Jaune yelped and jumped back, not once thinking about shutting the door on his would be attacker. The attacker was a man that was a head taller than Jaune was, with blond hair a lighter shade than Jaune's, burning red eyes, and clothing that looked frighteningly familiar.**

 **"Are you 'Naruto Uzumaki'?" The man asked darkly,**

"Not in the slightest!"

"…Thanks Yang." Jaune sweat dropped.

"Hm, still, you could have taken a hit for my bae, Jaune."

"I am not dying for your relationship!"

"You could try man, geez."

Jaune fought the urge to give Yang the finger, if so to keep said finger still attached to his body.

 **the shotgun not wavering in the slightest. Jaune shook his head, wondering what the hell his fellow team leader did** _ **this**_ **time. The man growled. "Where is he?"**

 **"D-Down the hall, third door on the right, you can't miss him!" Jaune squeaked out. The man nodded and pulled the shotgun up. He gave Jaune a gentle smile and his eyes bled back into a calm lilac shade and – Jaune then realized just** _ **who**_ **it was he had encountered.**

 **"Sorry about that. He and I need to have a little talk about boundaries." Yang's father – Yeah, genius he may not be, but Jaune could've made** _ **that**_ **connection real fast with head trauma – smiled at him and shut the door.**

 **Jaune fell back to his butt and flopped back. He put a hand over his chest and stared at the ceiling.**

 **"Naruto...It was nice knowing you."**

Nora frowned at Jaune. "Bros before dads."

"You deny a shotgun to the face, Nora. Tell me how that works out for you." Jaune said dryly.

"…Touché good sir, touché."

 **"Dad! Dad, stop!" Yang pulled at his jacket, but Taiyang would not be deterred.**

 **"I just want to talk to him, Yang." Taiyang informed his precious eldest daughter. She knew that this was bound to happen, didn't she? It was every father's right to have a heart-to-heart with any would-be boyfriend, and Taiyang was fortunate enough to have a moment such as this pushed back to her seventeenth year.**

"I thought you had boyfriends before." Weiss looked surprised.

Yang pointed at her dad with a deadpanned look.

"Hm, I see your point."

"Glad someone does."

 **"With a shotgun!?" ...Okay, that was a valid point on Yang's part, but what if the boy did something outlandish or suddenly went nuts?! Taiyang needed to defend himself if that happened!**

"He would defend himself because you have a gun dad!" Yang shouted, flopping back with a groan. "So. Embarrassing."

 **Not to mention the classic double-barrel shotgun he currently toted around was far more intimidating than any modern weapon. Decades old, Taiyang's father's elephant gun left quite the impact.**

"He never let me play with it." Ruby pouted.

"…How do you function?" Weiss asked her partner worriedly.

"A glass of milk a day!"

 **"I just want to talk to him." Taiyang reiterated. He was aware that trying to explain this to his baby would be like trying to teach a dog to speak, and they'd been working on it with Zwei, so he knew how hard that was.**

"I understand that you're an overprotective nutcase!" Yang kicked her feet in the air.

 **Yang wouldn't understand, far too 'enamored' with the misguided puppy love she felt for the deadman-er, her boyfriend.**

"Oh god," Yang looked ready to cry. "not the bae dad, not the bae!"

 **"Dad, you...How'd you even bring that on campus with Atlas-No, never mind! Dad, listen to me, just let me explain! I was going to tell you!" Yang protested. Oh, wasn't she cute? Taiyang knew she'd have told him as soon as he was six-feet under.**

Yang just looked sheepish at that.

 **Maybe three feet. For some reason, he came off as overprotective. Honestly, what foolish notions.**

"Because you are!"

Ruby looked confused. "Doesn't he normally act this way?"

Yang frowned at her. "He coddled you too much."

"I liked it."

 **"I just want to talk to him." Taiyang repeated himself for a third time as he came to the door the kind boy a few rooms back directed him to. He lifted a hand and knocked politely on the door, so as not to scare his prey-er, be polite.**

 **"Dad, please! Stop!" Yang pulled on his arm, but Taiyang refused to budge. His little sunshine was strong, but he was stronger.**

 **"I just want to shoot him."**

Yang pointed a finger at the screen. "Aha! So you admit it!"

 **Crap.**

"He done goofed." Yatsuhashi muttered.

 **Well, he might as well be honest. Taiyang did want to shoot him. That didn't mean he would. Hm, maybe just to scare him once. Or twice. Or five times. Maybe until the boy looked like cheese...**

 **"What!?" Yang's voice rose an octave.**

 **"I just want to talk to him." Geez, what a rude boy this was, making him and Yang wait outside for so long.**

 **"That is** _ **not**_ **what you just said!" Yang shrieked. Wow, she really reminded Taiyang of her mother sometimes. And then there were times she reminded him of Summer, too. Taiyang would've drifted off into fond memories of his time with either of his daughter's mothers, but he was a man on a mission.**

"To have cookies with Naruto?" Ruby said in a hopeful manner.

"I wish." Yang slumped, her chin resting in her palms.

 **What was that mission?**

 **To kill – no, maim – wait, no, destroy – no, no, murder – no, no, no, no! To** _ **talk**_ **with Naruto Uzumaki.**

 _ **...Dammit, why does that name sound familiar?**_ **Taiyang wondered, only to be pulled from his thoughts as the door cracked open.**

 **"Yeah, what d'you want-? Whoa, hostile!" The male that answered the door jerked back when Taiyang leveled the shotgun at his sunglasses-covered eyes.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki?" Taiyang asked lowly. The boy at the door, a russet-haired boy, almost a blend of dark orange and red, looked past him at Yang. He then looked back at Taiyang and held up his index finger.**

 **"One moment, please."**

"And then we ehar the sound of a window shattering…please?" The blonde begged.

 **The door shut to a crack and a moment later, Taiyang's talented ears heard soft conversation through the opening. Then the door opened to reveal a half-dressed boy with sunny-bright blond hair, whisker marks, blue eyes and a beaming grin on his face.**

 **"Yangel, to what do I owe this honor-Yipe!" The boy yelped when Taiyang leveled his twin barrels at his face.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki?"**

"Say no!" Yang cried out.

 **"...Against my better judgment, I'm going to say yes."**

"Dammit!"

 **Target acquired.**

"No, abort mission, abort!" Yang flailed her arms in the arm wildly.

 **"You've been dating my baby girl?" Taiyang's eyes narrowed when the boy stiffened in fright. That was enough confirmation for him. He pulled down on the shotgun's hammers, prepared to pull the trigger next. "Got anything you want to say to me? Grovel maybe? It won't help, but it'll make me feel good."**

 **"...In these last moments of my life, all I can say is three words." Naruto Uzumaki looked past Taiyang and gave Yang a bright grin. "Totally worth it."**

"Awww." The girls said.

"Best bae, ever." Yang let a tear roll down her cheek.

It indeed had been worth it, not it's going to end.

Bummer.

 **"I'll carve it on your tombstone–"**

 **"Dad, someone's trying to** _ **flirt**_ **with Ruby!"**

"Mha?" Ruby asked, her mouth stuffed with cookies.

"…Go other me." Yang gave a thumbs up.

 _ **...This boy can live ...for now.**_ **Taiyang's priorities shifted from protecting Yang from a bad, no-good, ill-minded** _ **boy**_ **to protecting Ruby from being harmed or defiled in any way, shape or form. She was all he had left of Summer, she had to be kept innocent, to remain** _ **his**_ **baby girl!**

"I think your father is suffering from empty nest syndrome." Pyrrha gently informed.

Yang raised a brow. "You think?"

 **Which is entirely why Taiyang ran away screaming: "DADDY'S COMING BABY DOLL!"**

 **"...So, that was your dad?" Naruto asked as he watched the oddly murderous man run down the hallway with his shotgun waving over his head.**

 **"Yeah. Sorry." Yang rubbed her arm. "He's a bit...overprotective."**

 **"It is what it is." Naruto shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, hey, I know this might sound weird, but...has anyone...did any of Team RWBY lose any, uh, underwear?"**

 **"...Not that I'm aware of, why?" Yang asked, her eyes narrowed.**

"Dig it a bit deeper." Ren stage whispered.

 **"Oh, no reason." Naruto stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind him. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down when he felt his scroll vibrate weakly in his hand. "Hm?" Pulling the scroll out, Naruto's shoulders slumped and he chuckled. "Man, Kurama got me good...if I'd seen this though..."**

 **"Seen what?" Yang asked, tilting her head in an effort to sneak a peek at the scroll. Naruto turned the translucent screen her way so she could read the message. "'Yang's Dad's here. Hide. Now.'" Yang blinked a few times before her eyes blazed red and she punched her palm. "...That cheeky little – Ohh, when I get my hands on that sly cat, I'm going to pound that pussy!"**

"In what context?" Coco smiled lightly.

" _That_ way."

"Not helpful." Blake glared.

Yang just gave her a look.

"Dammit…" The cat faunas cursed.

 **"God, you're so hot when you're furious." Naruto mumbled as he collapsed his scroll and tucked it into his back pocket while he scratched the back of his head. "So, what'd Blake do to make you so mad?"**

 **"She told my dad about you! That...That...That little** _ **rat**_ **!" Yang crossed her arms and huffed. "She is so lucky I thought so quickly on my feet."**

"That was thinking quick?" Velvet gave Yang a bizarre look.

"In this case, yes, it was."

 **"...Bell told your dad, huh?" Naruto rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes. "A fair move, my ninja-rival." He clenched his hand into a fist and shook it at the ceiling. "But this injustice, this stain on my honor will not stand! This I swear!"**

Blake narrowed her eyes. "Bring it." She whispered.

 **"...Naruto, why are there lien cards in your boxers?" Yang asked, having taken notice of the plastic items when she ogled her boyfriend's normally concealed abs. Yeah, Sun's were good too, but he kept them out all the time, so Yang soon became too accustomed to them. Naruto's, however, were only revealed to her when they did the horizontal tango or during rare hours of the morning like this, so she ogled them whenever she could.**

"Used to them?" Blake frowned, how could you ever get used to Sun's abs?

 **"...Er..." Naruto looked down and pulled the cards out, counting them and then grinning. "Heh, cool. I scored fifty-five bucks. Guess she liked the show."**

 **"** _ **What**_ **?!"**

 **"...Oh, dammit."**

"And now he done goofed." Yatsuhashi mumbled.

 **"Are you sure it was safe to leave him out there?" Haku asked as he, Sasuke and Kurama sorted through the bras in an effort to guess what pair belong to which girl. "You did say that the man had a shotgun."**

 **"Eh, he's survived worse." Kurama shrugged. He held up a blue bra with pink polka dots. "...So, ten bucks its from Vacuo."**

 **"No bet." Sasuke snorted and grabbed the bra. He tossed it to Kurama's bed, where a small pile had started to grow, as was one on Sasuke's and on Haku's. "Sandy grains on the strap. The owner is from Shade Academy."**

"…Degenerates, all of them." Weiss hissed in distaste.

"I want my bra back!" Nora whined.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement.

"Same, but the fox can keep Vel's. It's better that way."

"Coco!"

 **"Fuck your eyes. Seriously." Kurama grumbled. He rubbed his head. "Man, who'd have thought a shotgun to the face would scare the hangover out of you?"**

 **"And Haku stepped out in a mirror to snag a few pills from the Nurse's office." Sasuke added, nodding to the feminine boy.**

 **"I didn't snag them, I asked!"**

 **"Uh-huh..." Sasuke mumbled, a disbelieving smirk on his face as he picked up a white lace. The three boys shared a dull look. "** _ **Atlas**_ **."**

"…Hate them all." Weiss muttered in anger.

 **The lacy white brassier joined all the others that were piled on Haku's bed.**

 **"Cripes, how'd Sun and Naruto get all these?!" Kurama muttered while he dug around through the bras. "Seriously, was everyone under some sort of influence?"**

 **"Who knows? Sun was a stowaway and Naruto stole a lot of things for us back with Team Kakashi," Sasuke said with a shrug. He opened his mouth to say something else when his team leader suddenly burst through the door and landed on his back in the middle of the room. The rest of Team NHKS quickly looked to the cause of Naruto's sudden reentry.**

 **Yang glared around the room with bright red eyes. Then she looked at the three boys her boyfriend was teamed with. A finger pointed at them accusingly.**

 **"Did any of you join him in entertaining a crowd last night?" Yang asked through gritted teeth.**

"Keep you mouths shut if you want to live!" Jaune cried to the screen.

 **Sasuke, Kurama, and Haku shook their heads rapidly in the negative. Yang narrowed her eyes, looked to the gathered bras, then back to the boys. "Bra raid?"**

 **"Naruto did it." They quickly and unanimously sold out their leader.**

"Wow, cold blooded." Jaune whistled. "Glad you guys aren't like that." He told his team.

"Yep." "Of course not." "Maybe."

They looked to Ren.

"I like to keep my options open."

 **Yang nodded and stormed into the room. She grabbed her groaning boyfriend's ankle and dragged him out of the room.**

 **"As you were, boys." Yang dismissed them with a smile as she pulled Naruto along. Naruto rolled onto his stomach and clawed for escape.**

 **"No! It wasn't my fault! I was drunk, I tell you! I was** _ **drunk**_ **!" He wailed and reached out to his team. "Guys, please! Save me-e-e!" Thick teary trails ran down his cheeks from either eye. "She's gonna yell at me!"**

"Oh, the humanity." Weiss dryly noted.

Ruby looked at her weirdly. "What are you on? She's terrifying when she yells!"

 **"You're goddamn right I'm going to yell at you! I mean strip dancing for me is one thing, but for a whole bar!? And then going on a drunken underwear raid** _ **without**_ **me!? I thought we were a couple, we're supposed to do stuff like that together!" Yang complained as she tightened her grip on Naruto's ankle and continued her powerful stride out of the room.**

"…That's what you yell at him about?" Weiss asked.

"Duh."

"You blondes are so dumb."

"Hey!" Yang protested. "That's stereotyping!"

"So?"

"It's, it's! …Damn, I got nothing." Yang pouted.

 **"...We'll have to petition Ozpin for a fourth member." Kurama idly commented as the two blonds disappeared out the door and around the corner.**

 **"Yeah..." Sasuke nodded.**

 **"...Think Sakura would like to join?" Haku asked. Kurama grinned and Sasuke choked on air before he rounded on the grinning androgynous boy.**

 **"That's** _ **not**_ **funny, Haku!"**

 **"I beg to differ."**

"I think a lady around would do them some good." Pyrrha nodded kindly.

 **"You're sure you're okay?"**

 **"Yes,** _ **Dad**_ **." Ruby rolled her eyes for what felt like the five-hundredth time. She returned her attention to her work, scrubbing down every inch of her dismantled baby. Ruby smiled, eagerly anticipating putting all the pieces back into proper place, recalibrating the sights until they were just right, and then testing it on a willing target. Or, well, she would do all that as soon as she got rid of her father.**

 **Don't get Ruby wrong, she loved her Dad to bits, but there were some times that he just got a bit too...clingy. Like she was a porcelain doll that would shatter if it was knocked off the shelf. Yes, she knew she looked like her Mom and acted like her and, according to her Uncle Qrow, enjoyed the same sugary snacks she did, and that sometimes it was too much for her Dad to handle, but she was a Huntress now!**

 **...Er, well, a Huntress-in-training, but the point still stands!**

"She's adorably." Coco laughed.

"Right?" Yang said, kissing Ruby atop her head.

"Stop treating me like a kid!" Ruby whined in protest. Until Yang held out a cookie. "Mine!"

Weiss pointed as Ruby nibbled on her cookie. "Our grand leader everybody. Yay."

 **"Are you absolutely-?"**

 **"** _ **Dad**_ **!" Ruby groaned and set down the screw she was determined to scrub spotless with the new cleaning rag. She turned around, away from the table, and pulled out the ultimate sad puppy-dog eyes. "Please leave me alone..."**

"Oh, harsh Rubes."

"Needed to be done, sis." Ruby said, looking stern.

Despite the cookie crumbles on her lips.

 **"...All right..." Taiyang relented with a sigh. He quickly wrapped his arms around his youngest daughter and planted a gentle kiss on the side of her head. The giggle that escaped Ruby's lips made him smile and back away. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but...it's been so** _ **quiet**_ **since you and Yang came here, and then when I come visit I learn Yang's been wrapped around the fingers of some little punk and...Just, just don't grow up too fast, okay?"**

 **"Well,** _ **duh**_ **, Dad. I'm fifteen," Ruby said dryly. She gestured to her dismantled weapon. "Crescent Rose is way more interesting then Naruto is. ...Even if he's got awesome gauntlets he won't let me touch." Ruby's eyes watered up and she brought her hands up under her chin. "I just want to take it apart once, maybe a few times...I'll put it right back together! I swear!"**

"Ruby, you can't play with my boyfriend's stuff." Yang chided.

"But they're so cool~!" Ruby whined.

"Well, if you want to share-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Velvet stopped her. "T for Teen girls. L-Let's not go there!"

 **"...Ruby..." Taiyang began slowly, drawing his youngest' attention back to him. His face twisted into a look of strain and disgust as he struggled to ask his question. "What do you know about Yang's...** _ **Boyfriend**_ **?"**

 **"Naruto?" Ruby blinked. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, he's strong, nice, funny, but weird...Like Yang. His teammates call her a female version of him, which is strange, because Yang's not a Female Naruto, she's Yang! Geez, sometimes people can be so dumb."**

 **"Would you say he's a...** _ **good**_ **person?" Taiyang asked and folded his arms over his chest.**

 **"I guess so." Ruby shrugged. "I mean, he's not a bad guy. He helped Blake stop Roman the Jerkface and fought off some big muscle-y guy that knocked me out. Although..." Ruby narrowed her eyes. "He did steal my cookies...And read Weiss' diary. ...And calls Weiss 'Sneeze' instead of Schnee, which is really funny – but don't tell Weiss I said that!"**

"Dang it other me." Ruby muttered as Weiss glared at her. "Hehe, uh, Naruto made me do it?"

"He's not here right now."

"Drat!"

 **"Huntsman's honor." Taiyang swore with a small smile when Ruby glanced around worriedly.**

 **"Good, good, because I don't want her to get mad at me. She always gets so mad whenever he calls her that." Ruby muttered. She scratched the side of her head. "Um...Let's see, he's from a village in Vacuo...and he** _ **loves**_ **ramen. And he's got a really weird godfather, and his mom and dad are the Red Death and the Thunder God. Oh! And he got eaten by a Grimm a few times, and exploded them from the inside out!"**

"Which is always cool." Ruby nodded in agreement.

 **"...Wait, hold up, what was that last part?" Taiyang blinked. He didn't just hear what he thought he heard...did he?"**

 **"Naruto got eaten alive by a few Grimm?" Ruby repeated.**

 **"No, before that."**

 **"He's from Vacuo and loves ramen?"**

 **"Ruby..."**

 **"Oh! You mean his mom and dad!" Ruby grinned cheekily while Taiyang stared at her. There were times that Qrow's influence was** _ **too**_ **apparent on his youngest daughter. Ruby turned away with a nervous chuckle. "Um, well, he said his mom was called the Red Death and his dad was the Thunder God, I think. Which is** _ **so**_ **cool! Hey, Dad, how come Vacuo's schools give out titles and we don't? I want to be Red Reaper! Er, wait, no, that's too dark. Um...Crescent Ros-No, wait, I can't used Crescent Rose as my title! It takes away from her awesomeness..."**

"Mm, conundrum!" Ruby crossed her arms as she closed her eyes in thought. "What to call myself…"

 **Taiyang had tuned Ruby out and his gaze became distant.** _ **Red Death...Well, it's no wonder he seems so familiar! That's**_ **Kushina's** _ **kid! ...Wow, talk about awkward revelations. Hard to believe Yang would go after Qrow's ex's kid...**_

"Dude," Yang breathed out in awe. "Destiny, or some other shit. Nice!" She grinned viciously.

 _ **And Thunder God, if that's not Minato, I don't know who it could be. I wonder how they're doing? I haven't spoken to them since Raven and I got...Oh. Wow.**_

"Uh, Dad, kinda dead…" Yang grimaced.

 _ **Way to stay connected to your friends, Taiyang.**_ **Taiyang thought before he pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed it.** _ **Man, almost twenty years of no contact...How the hell do I apologize for**_ **that** _ **? Hey, guys, I know it's been a while, but after Raven left me and Summer died, I totally lost track of time while trying to be a dad. Speaking of fatherhood, how's this for irony, Minato? I tried to kill your son because, get this, he's dating my eldest daughter! I know, right, what are the odds!?**_

"Dad, daddy, just stop." Ruby covered her head with her hood.

 _ **...Oh my god, I tried to kill Kushina's son.**_ **Taiyang realized with growing horror.** _ **Don't panic. Don't panic. Maybe, maybe she's mellowed out over the years. Yeah. Sure. Maybe she'll only break every bone in my body instead of ripping me to shreds...**_

"…Man my other is missing out." Yang pouted, there went most awesome mother-in-law, since ever!

 **An image of a shadowy woman with wavy red hair, glowing white eyes, and fire-like aura chains appeared in Taiyang's mind. Tears of fear began to pour out of his eyes.**

"Wow…he's scared." Ruby awed at the power that was Kushina Uzumaki.

 _ **Who am I kidding, Kushina's going to eviscerate me, rip me into tiny pieces, feed me to Grimm and then Summer is going to kick my ass out of heaven!**_ **Taiyang silently wailed. He grabbed his head as his eyes went wide. "And then there's Minato..."**

 **"Huh? What'd you say, Dad?" Ruby asked.**

 **"Nothing, Ruby...just dreading a reunion with some old friends." Taiyang sighed as he raked his hands through his hair. He then looked up at the ceiling. "So, Yang's boyfriend is Minato and Kushina's son, huh? Has he told you about them?"**

 **"Not a lot," Ruby said quietly. "Apparently they were really strong."**

 **"'Were'." Taiyang snorted in amusement. "Yeah, like anything would make those two..."**

 **Taiyang's amused smile fell as a distant memory suddenly came to mind. A morning when he was jostled awake by Qrow, who he faintly recalled being very distressed and in a hurry. It was hazy and distant – the amount of drinks he had during that time exceeded Qrow's normal intake and left their impact – but the rushed awake call suddenly flooded into clarity.**

 **"** _ **Tai. Tai! You listening to me, man? I can't stick around to explain, but you have to wake up, now! Something**_ **big** _ **just happened in Kon, Oz can't reach them through the CCT and Minato's scroll isn't answering.**_

"Way to drop the ball, dad." Yang shook her head.

 _ **I have to-God, Yang! Don't climb on that!**_

Yang got some amused looks that she shrugged at. "I was a climber. How do you think Lil Yang got these guns?" She flexed her arms.

 _ **For god's sakes, Tai, wake up, drink some coffee and watch your daughters!**_ **"**

 **"...God..." Taiyang covered his eyes and let out a pained groan. That was what? Almost eighteen years ago? Taiyang took a careful seat, his legs weak from the revelation. Their teams were among the top ten to come out of Beacon Academy in his generation, but they weren't close, especially after Kushina and Qrow split up (which, now that Taiyang thought about it, was around the time that Minato and that Thetis girl went their separate ways).**

"Mom?" Pyrrha's jaw dropped.

"Mom!?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"…Dang, see where you got the looks, Nikos." Coco whistled in amazement.

 **They were gone.**

 **"Ruby..." Taiyang found his voice and looked at his youngest, who'd gone back to work on her prized weapon. "Do you trust him?"**

 **"What?" Ruby asked, not looking away from the cylinder she was cleaning.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki. Do you trust him?"**

 **"Why wouldn't I?" Ruby asked, looking at Taiyang with a smile. "He's one of my friends...I think."**

"He's my boy, Rubes, of course you trust him." Yang scolded.

"He can be a jerk."

"That's beside the point." Yang waved off.

"I don't think so." Blake and Weiss muttered.

 **"...Don't work too hard, baby girl," Taiyang said and ruffled his daughter's hair. She swatted at his hands with a whine, causing Taiyang to chuckle. For the moment, it took his mind off of the spiraling questions.**

 **"So, what have we learned?" Yang asked while she emptied Ember Cecilia's right belt chamber and reloaded it, before doing the same with the left.**

 **"That you have** _ **amazing**_ **aim for such a wide-spread shot." Naruto muttered from where he laid on the ground, his semblance slowly dwindling away after he let Yang vent her frustration and stress on him. He gave her a crooked grin when she sent him a small look. "Don't go drinking without your supervision."**

 **"And?" Yang pumped her fists to load the next round into her gauntlets.**

 **"That I'm not allowed to kiss Sun or any other guy without you present to witness such a, and I quote, 'spank-tack-ulous moment'."**

"It was." Yang let out a pervy giggle.

Coco grinned. "I hear that."

The two leaned over to slap five!

"I feel my gender being exploited in a sexual manner." Jaune frowned.

"And you actually care?" Ren asked.

"For my self-respect, yes. I do."

 **Naruto chuckled and winced as he got back to his feet. One of her shots nearly went up main street avenue after she learned about the highlight of his and Sun's 'show'. He wasn't exactly sure** _ **how**_ **it almost happened, but he knew it did almost happen, and that was enough to make Naruto wary.**

 **"** _ **And**_ **?" Yang pressed as she crossed her arms over her chest and arched a brow.**

 **"That the only brassieres or panties that I should concern myself with are the ones you might or might not be wearing," Naruto said as he cracked his neck and the last of his semblance flickered away, the glow in his eyes and hair gone from existence. He walked over to Yang and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and laying a quick peck on her lips. "** _ **And**_ **that you can totally kick my ass...when I'm absolutely terrified of you."**

 **"I'm sorry, but I can totally kick your ass** _ **any**_ **time I want, Whisker Boy." Yang corrected him with a pointed tap on the nose.**

"Dang Skippy I can!" Yang pumped her fist.

 **Naruto made an attempt to bite the finger, and grinned when Yang quickly pulled it away. "Guess you'll have to wait until the Vytal Festival to find out, Honey Boobs."**

 **"Psh, chicken."**

 **"Nah. Just don't want to give Ruby, Sneeze, Bell or your Dad a legitimate reason to want to kill me," Naruto said with a chuckle. He looked around the training field with slight apprehension. "Speaking of which, he's not going to jump out of the bushes and try to shoot me or something, is he?"**

"The hunter stalks his prey, as he slowly-"

"Weiss, shut up."

Weiss just looked smug.

Yang wanted to poke her in the eye.

 **"Nope." Yang grinned and rested her arms loosely around her boyfriend's neck. "Dad's gotta keep his kids in line on their trip. Apparently, his escapade earlier made his fellow chaperones a wee bit upset. The kids, well...they're rowdy."**

 **"...Your rowdy and my rowdy are two entirely different-"**

 **"They catcalled at Professor Goodwitch during her welcoming speech."**

 **"...Bullshit." Naruto pulled back with wide eyes. "And they're still alive?"**

"No way." Jaune shook his head in denial.

 **"Which is why Dad's on full time chaperone duty now." Yang shrugged. "It sucks that Ruby and I can't hang out with him longer but look on the bright side, at least he won't try to kill you anymore."**

"They did? Man, just when I thought she'd be less stress after murdering some dumb kids…"

"Jaune." Ren looked at him.

"A guy can wish, Ren. He can wish hard."

 **"That's a victory in my books." Naruto grinned along with Yang until a gleam appeared in his eye. "So...considering we're both not exactly needed for the next few hours, and there's a perfectly good supply shed about twenty feet to our left..."**

 **"Naruto! My father is on campus and my sister, your team, could come looking for us at any minute!" Yang gasped in mock outrage. She then grinned and leaned a little closer to her boyfriend. "Bet I can outlast you this time."**

"You have no restraint." Blake covered her eyes with a pained groan.

Yang just wolf whistled at Naruto. "Take it off!"

 **"Oh, you wanna make it interesting?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowed. "Stakes?"**

 **"Well,** _ **if**_ **you manage to tire me out first, I'll serve you Ramen each night in a maid's outfit." Yang offered. Judging by the glossy look in his eye and the dopey smile that crossed his face, that was an appropriate stake for Naruto. When he came out of la-la land, Yang continued. "But in turn, when** _ **you**_ **ask for a break to regain some energy, you have to take me out to any restaurant of my choice-"**

 **"I'd do that anyway."**

 **"And we christen it as ours."**

"…You touch my bakery and you die." Ruby warned her sister.

"I said a restaurant."

"My threat still stands!"

"She better not even try it." Weiss muttered, there were a lot of good restaurants around that she liked!

 **"...Either way it seems like I win in these scenarios." Naruto muttered.**

 **"Well, you won't be the man when we christen it." Yang explained with a grin.**

"…Just like Ren."

"Nora!"

 **"...O...Oh...Kay...Huh...Gonna need a second to process that." Naruto blinked a few times and then shook his head as a fire appeared in his eyes. "All right. You're on, Yang."**

 **"Yeah?" Yang leaned in. "Let's seal it with a kiss, Whisker Boy."**

 **"Oh, I'll do more than kiss, Honey Boobs." Naruto whispered huskily before they pressed their lips together. They broke the kiss and then scurried eagerly over to the shack. Naruto shut the door behind them and locked it tight. A few hours later, they would emerge with one of the blondes smiling triumphantly, whilst the other looked disappointed with themselves, but were still utterly satisfied.**

"B-But who?!" Yang demanded to know!

"We don't care." Weiss told her.

"Silence ice witch! People with lives are watching and demanding answers!"

Weiss wanted to poke Yang in the eye.


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXIII: The Crying Land**

Nora grabbed the tissue box.

"Do I even ask?" Ren glanced at her.

Nora rolled her eyes. "In case the land wants a tissue, duh Ren."

"Oh, silly me."

"Silly you!"

 **A few days later, far from Beacon Academy and the troubles of the teenage students within, a cloaked man walked into a small tavern to escape the pouring rain. He asked for a drink and sat at a round table not set far off to the side. Soon enough, the few brave drunks that wished to be merry and share their sorrows with one another sat around the stranger.**

 **"So, what brought you here stranger?" Asked one of the drunks.**

 **"Well, to explain why I'm here, I'll have to tell you a brief story." He pulled a rolled parchment from his cloak and gestured at the table. "May I?"**

"Uh, Yang blinked. "That's neat and all, but what about my bet? That I totally won."

"No one cares." Weiss told her.

"Lies!" Yang accused the white haired girl. "Who doesn't want to see me take Naruto up the butt?!"

The more delicate minded girls flushed, while the more open minded girls nodded in agreement.

"We don't!" Jaune said for the boys.

"No one asked the ones with a dick!"

Jaune shut up at that.

 **"Sure! This ought to be good..."**

 **A map unrolled across the small tavern's tabletop and a calloused hand set a glass down on the corner to keep it steady. A small oil lantern illuminated the map, revealing it to be scrawled on an old parchment with faded writing and glyphs. The owner of the map spoke lowly to his audience.**

"Ooh, visuals." Ruby smiled.

 **"Far to Vale's west, as most could tell you, is the kingdom of Vacuo. It's set within the middle of a desert-like region that was, for the most part, intolerable to Human, Faunus and even Grimm alike. Were it not for the few yet widespread oases where smaller settlements started to form near, Vacuo possibly would not have even made it to the measure of a kingdom. Perhaps, in another time, where the royals didn't immediately insult their would be subjects, and instead inspired unity to persevere, it would've made it to this status on its own. However, we know there were six known successful settlements hidden throughout the desert that the main hub owed its success to."**

"I don't remember this from history class." Weiss frowned.

"Shh." Her friends told her.

"We're trying to learn here." Ruby chided her.

Weiss looked like she had been slapped.

Ruby? Learn? That was a laugh. She slept through her classes!

 **"The first to settle properly was the city-village of Kon, which previously had a longer name but after so many battles and Grimm attacks in its earlier years, the name had been shortened to lower the repair time on the gates that surrounded it. Kon was a lush place, set comfortably near the border of Vale's reach and acted often as a hub of travel and trade prior to the development of the air vehicles. With a mountainside devoted to protecting the city-village's 'flank', and a forest that contained a decent amount of Grimm as well as other settled carnivorous animals, Kon was arguably the village with the least volatile surroundings and was home to people who carried what was soon called a Will of Fire, a fortitude that couldn't be snuffed out no matter how many times it was put down. It was because of this common feature amongst its citizens that Kon started to be called the Domain of Defenders, the city that acted as the first and last stand during The War when Vale attempted to expand its borders."**

"Like that Eco Protector show?" Blake asked.

"You watched it too!?" Yang gasped. "It was so awesome!"

"No it wasn't, it was so stupidly cheesy."

"Blake we about to have some words, and by words, I mean fists."

 **"Some time shortly after, Vacuo's people established another city-village. Stone, they called it, at first as propaganda, rather stupid and unimaginative if you ask me." The speaker chuckled and gestured to the map. "Stone, as one could expect, was hidden deep underground, created near an underground spring somewhere in the southeast. Its best defense was the difficulty, which came from trying to get to it, and its unknown length spread across its territory. Grimm, like with any other settlement, moved in nearby. Particularly the Grimm that enjoyed dark caves and thrived underground: Graboids, Creepers and Death Stalkers were a constant threat. Stone's people were noted to often be cruel and cold towards outsiders, having so tightly knit a community that held its own laws and agreements above those of the other kingdoms. Were it not for the Vacoan royals making an agreement during the settlement's start, it could be argued that Stone might have made a move to shift the balance of power. Thankfully, that didn't happen...officially, anyway, but that was its own story."**

 **"Now, around the same time three more city-villages began to spring up. The one that would become the primary home of Vacuo's military was set high on a mountaintop to Vacuo's North West. They called it appropriately the Hidden Cloud. As I said before, it was originally a military outpost turned base turned city-village. Its high position makes traverse to it very,** _ **very**_ **difficult. And the Grimm around it didn't help with that, let me tell you. More than once Nevermores, Griffons, hell, I think there was even a Grimm Drake that sieged the village's walls. Nevertheless, the warriors of Cloud never gave an inch to these attacks and acted as the sword of Vacuo. Most who wish to be pilots dream of applying to the Cloud's Skyscraper Flight School.**

Yang got a thrill down her spine. "I wanna fly something."

"Oh no." Ruby muttered with worry. "It's worse than when she got her bike."

"BB rules, but he could get an upgrade." She looked to Weiss. "Got any Atlas tech on ya?"

"No. And I wouldn't give it to you."

"Tch, lien pincher."

 **They have a decently sized amount of hopeful Hunters, and that number has increased in recent years since Vacuo's compliance with the order of the Council of Vytal. However, they remain loyal to Vacuo first and foremost. Though, they aren't as loyal as the...next."**

 **"The Lost Village, the Suna." The map's owner withheld a smirk at the sound of a sharp gasp. "The vagabonds and runaways' dream home, those with nowhere to go often fled here first, to establish new lives. It was once thought that Suna was the true kingdom and the real home of Vacuo's royals, but The War revealed that it was home to the last line of defense. Hunters, soldiers even, who were born and raised in Suna are said to have incredible durability and even scare off Grimm with just their presence alone. However, with The War's completion, Suna vanished from the radar, and if not for the Five Village's Tournament, would be believed to be only a myth.**

"So, sand people." Jaune stroked his chin. "Do they have camels?"

"Probably, maybe land skis too!" Yang got what he was going for.

"I swear there's a movie reference to it, bit I can't remember!" The blond male scratched his head furiously.

"It'll come to you, Jaune." Pyrrha patted hiss shoulder.

 **Though, their fame was rivaled only by the Fifth village."**

"Does it involve more sand?" Ruby asked aloud.

 **"The village of Fog, hidden along the southern shoreline, has become known as the Bloody Mist. Most of Vacuo's notable Assassins, Criminals or even Dark Hunters have claimed this land as their home.**

"Dark hunters…that sounds so cool, yet evil, but still kinda cool." Ruby muttered with awe.

Yang bonked her head. "No evil reaper Ruby."

Rubbing her head, Ruby pouted. "Fine! I wasn't gonna anyway."

"Uh-huh."

 **The village was surrounded by both land and sea Grimm, and even the occasional stray Graboid would pop in for a quick hello. With the dangers so high, it could be understood why Fog's founders were notoriously harsh in their basic training. Supposedly, they even submitted the students to partnering up upon enrollment, and then, on graduation, had the young partners fight to the** _ **death**_ **." The storyteller paused to take a sip of his drink.**

Everyone looked towards their own partner with shock and disgust.

That was nothing but barbaric.

 **Speaking so long and about such a dark topic always made his tongue dry. "This practice was frowned upon by all of Vacuo, but for those who didn't break the law or go astray, it produced some of the strongest warriors, even a band of swordsmen who became feared. One of the swordsmen, however, was the cause for the practice's end when he slaughtered every single member of the graduating year. The Demon Butcher, the Devil's Son, the Fog's Vampire, these are just some of his titles, but his** _ **name**_ **is Zabuza Momochi."**

"Damn Haku…" Coco whistled. "That's just, and this guy taught him? He must be way scarier than what we've seen so far."

That was kinda sexy to be honest.

 **The storyteller paused once more to take another drink. The other patrons had gone white with terror, the rain outside danced upon the tavern's windows. The storyteller set his glass down and adjusted his cloak.**

 **"However, his real claim to fame, what brought his disturbing graduation to light, were his actions in Vacuo's Shame during the Uprising of The Salamander. Vacuo's Shame was the** _ **sixth**_ **village established by Vacuo's royal family. Initially meant to be another hub for commerce, a second shield to match Kon, it was called Vacuo's Valor. The strongest of the five villages were moved to it and many of the nobles that lived in Vacuo's main city soon followed. It was to be the equivalent of Vale's City of Vale, to be the star-studded splendor for a desolate land, the diamond in the rough as it were." The storyteller sighed.**

"Oh, that's not a good sigh." Blake frowned as she sipped her milk.

 **"But...that isn't the case. To make a long story short, a powerful man with dark ambitions rose to power, and it took nearly the entirety of the five villages and Vacuo's military to eventually put an end of his ambitious to conquer Vacuo. Among those forces was a young, Zabuza Momochi who made his name by executing no less than three hundred men, eighty-five women, and forty children in the streets of Vacuo's Valor."**

"…That's fucked up." Yatsuhashi pretty much summed up everyone's thoughts as they turned away from the image or just felt sick inside.

There were people like that in the world, they could understand that. But this? It just felt terrible to even listen to.

 **The storyteller sighed and sat back, his hood falling to reveal a white-haired man with red tear-like lines that went down from either eye and had a horned headband around his forehead.**

 **"Zabuza escaped trial for his actions on technicality, since at the time, the King of Vacuo had ordered the use of excessive force to put Valor's mad ruler down. Eventually, a ceasefire was reached and Vacuo's Valor was erased from all legal documents, while the city itself closed its walls forever, sentenced to die out alone and unassisted by any of Remnants forces. To this day, there always seems to be rain over the city, and it became known as The Crying Land of Vacuo's Shame."**

"That's so dark and depressing, like something out of Blake's bleak poetry." Yang said, chewing on a candy bar.

"Her what?" Ruby asked.

"You read them?!" Blake hissed, her face aflame with embarrassment.

"I thought it was cute." Yang shrugged.

"And personal!"

"Oh boy, did they get personal!" Yang wiggled her eyebrows.

Blake's face heated up more and she averted her gaze, refusing to even look at Yang!

 **"...That's nice and all, mister," one of the patrons began after a brief silence. "But it doesn't explain why you're** _ **here**_ **."**

 **Jiraiya blinked. He grinned and crossed his arms. "No? I thought that was obvious. You see...rumor has it that Zabuza Momochi ...is** _ **back**_ **."**

 **More than one of the patrons dropped their mug and the bartender dropped the glass he was in the middle of cleaning. Jiraiya laughed at their reactions and rolled up his map.**

 **"Basically, Vacuo sent me here to flush him out and catch him," he said as he tucked the rolled up parchment into his shirt. The patrons all nearly fell over, so caught off guard by the perfect summary.**

 **One lone drunk even shot up to his feet and slammed his hand on the table. "You jackass! You wasted all of our time by telling such a boring tale when you could've just said you were here to catch a madman!"**

"A mad butcher." Ruby corrected. ""And why is he in a bar? I'd check the meat store first."

"It, it doesn't work like that Ruby." Yang told her sister.

Coco nodded. "You got to go where all the other people go. Thus, a bar."

"Do they serve good milk?"

"Maybe?" Coco shrugged.

Ruby just huffed in distaste.

Her dad always did say a bar was a bad place for her. Now she truly understood why.

 **"...But then how would I have wooed the lovely lady seated at the end of the bar?" Jiraiya asked with a beaming grin.**

"Jiraiya, you salty dog." Yang chuckled, she loved this guy!

 **The patrons, mostly men of various gruff features, stiffened and followed his gaze to the cloaked figure he stared at. Upon closer inspection, the slightest of feminine curves could be made out, and even the hand that held a glass was a bit...dainty.**

 **"...So...You've come for** _ **Zabuza**_ **?" The woman's voice, low and regal, asked. The patrons stiffened even more while Jiraiya grinned and sauntered over to her side.**

 **"Yeah, he's bad news. Did I mention the part where he killed kids?" Jiraiya asked as he took a seat, his back against the bar while he looked at the cloaked woman on his side. "That leaves a bad stain on Vacuo, almost as bad as the Fourth War."**

 **A pin could've been dropped and be heard for miles, even over the rain, it became so quiet. The other men seated in the bar slowly began to rise up, their drinks left untouched. The bartender started to pull out something from beneath the cabinet.**

"Bar fight? Where's the bass?" Nora pouted. "I need my jams!" She grabbed her headphones.

 **"Now, boys..." Jiraiya began, interrupting himself to finish his drink. He set the empty glass on the table and his eyes drifted shut, while his smile thinned. "Don't do something that you'll regret later."**

 **"I've had enough of your tongue, old man." The bartender growled as he lifted a bat from beneath the sink. He gripped it tightly in both hands and pulled it over his shoulder. "Frankly, it's getting on my nerves."**

 **"I'm telling you to just think about what you're doing for one-"**

 **The bat was swung and smashed into the side of Jiraiya's face. The bartender grinned maliciously when he saw that his strike hit home, but then after a few beats began to sweat as a sheer amount of aura weighed down on him. He tried to pull his bat away, but it refused to budge. He pulled and pulled, but it went nowhere fast.**

 **"What the hell-Gah!" Blood rushed out of the bartender's mouth, and the man looked down to see a long white spike piercing his stomach. He followed the spike back to a hole in the back of the Jiraiya's cloak. The spike was the same color as the man's hair. Before he could comment on it, the spike retracted and then softened back into a small portion of Jiraiya's long white mane.**

"He can manipulate his hair?" Ruby looked wide eyed.

"Now that's a semblance." Yang whistled, stroking her hair.

"He must take as much time as you do in the bathroom." Weiss commented with a smirk.

"Hey, you only take two minutes less than I do, so you can't talk."

Blake just rolled her eyes, her teammates grooming habits were just so annoying.

 **"See," Jiraiya started with a sigh as he pushed the bat away with his hand, revealing holes that his hair had put into the weapon. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid."**

 **"You...Bastard..." one of the patrons stuttered. He shattered his bottle on the table and rushed at Jiraiya, who'd folded his arms over his chest.**

 **"They never learn."**

"Should've had his aura up." Coco wagged a finger.

"Wait, is he dead?" Ruby cocked a brow.

"Yes, yes he is."

"Oh god, he just killed someone!" The young leader exclaimed.

 **Jiraiya muttered as he dipped his head forward. His ponytailed hair flew out from behind him like a serpent, lengthening and sharpening to a point, before it pierced his would be attacker through the chest. The other patrons stared in horror as the drunk was flicked off the hair-spear and thrown through a window. They looked back to see Jiraiya's hair retract, and the man's eyes were hard and dangerous.**

 **"Leave." He didn't leave room for argument. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed and he increased his aura's output tenfold. "** _ **Now**_ **."**

 **The tavern was vacant within milliseconds.**

"…He totally killed someone." Ruby frowned.

"So did Naruto." Yang reminded her.

"Via flashback!" Ruby argued, looking pouty.

Coco shook her head. "Ruby, shit happens. And now let's watch."

Ruby didn't look happy over it.

 **"...I'm impressed you can still sit so calmly." Jiraiya commented as he glanced at the cloaked woman, who was in the midst of fiddling with a piece of paper. "Used to this sort of thing?"**

 **"You're aged and weak, old man. You made a mistake coming here." The paper in her hand glinted and sharpened. Both Jiraiya and his cloaked female adversary moved faster than one could blink, Jiraiya catching her wrist in his hand before her paper knife could stab him in the eye, well away from his bangs. Likewise, a massive grouping of white sheets prevented Jiraiya's hair from piercing her like it had the two unfortunate souls from before.**

"Paper semblance…the tree huggers must be flipping out." Velvet murmured, as that was a pretty sneaky one.

"That's really scary." Blake hugged her arms, her brow knitted. "I mean, even the smallest of paper could be her weapon."

"She must be the deadliest secretary, ever." Coco commented.

 **The movement did do one thing in Jiraiya's favor; it made his adversary's hood fall.**

 **"Well, well...Aren't you the beautiful specimen?" Jiraiya asked as a grin spread across his face. The woman had exotic blue hair that was kept short with a paper rose on the left side of her head. Hate-filled amber eyes that were highlighted by her azure eyeliner glared at him. Full lips remained pursed in annoyance, which drew attention to the lone stud piercing that penetrated her lower lip.**

"Oh, pretty." Nora said, as she took off her headphones.

 **Jiraiya soaked it all up and his eyes ventured downward for a brief moment before they rose up once again.**

 **"What'll it take for me to get that cloak off?" he asked.**

 **"All I want from you is your life, Toad Sage Jiraiya. It will be a great boon to have claimed the life of the leader of Mount Myōboku."**

 **Jiraiya's carefree grin fell and his gaze once more hardened. "How do you know of my mountain?"**

"She's heard many a tale of his great and mighty mountain." Yang wiggled her brow.

"Ew." The girls said to her.

"Hey, don't hate the baller, hate his haters."

"You didn't even say the line right." Blake told her dryly.

"I know what I said."

 **"You don't remember?" The woman's lips twitched upward, but quickly remained flat. "Why, you told me of it yourself...Master Jiraiya."**

"Whoa…getting a little M rated here." Yang frowned and grabbed Nora's headphone.

"Hey!"

Yang dumped them over Ruby's ears.

"Hey!"

"It's for your own good." Yang muttered, sending Nora a pleading look.

"Fine, as long as she doesn't break them." Nora crossed her arms with a pout.

"Promise!"

 _ **Master?**_ **Jiraiya thought in confusion before he was launched out of his seat by a sudden amount of pressure in his stomach. He burst through the tavern's wall into the empty streets of Vacuo's Shame. The rain pelted the muddy ground furiously, like a drum wailed on by a child. Jiraiya picked himself up off the ground and narrowed his eyes as the woman walked out through the hole he made, the paper fist that had formed at her side slowly falling apart due to the weather.**

 **"Once, long ago, I had hoped you would return to this place and take us with you to Kon." The woman's stony face told more than her words as she held her hand out and a small knife slid from her sleeve into her grasp. The soggy paper on the ground suddenly rose up and latched onto her hand to mold around the small knife. A simple scythe made of paper sprouted from her hand and her amber eyes narrowed.**

"She's stealing my gig!" Ruby furiously pointed out.

 **"Now, I wish you hadn't returned, because it's my duty to God to put down any of His foes."**

 **"...I'm sorry I hadn't recognized you, but I was stunned by how beautiful you became over the years." Jiraiya muttered. His gaze softened and a gentle smile crossed his lips. "I'd thought you died, otherwise I would've come to save you sooner, Konan."**

"Oh! Fails alarm." Yang said, taking the headphones off Ruby and tossing them back to Nora.

"Thank you!"

 **"Spare me your charm, Master Jiraiya." The woman, Konan, said without any malice or anger. She spoke with sorrow that was barely noticeable and Jiraiya almost flinched at her words. "You know you should've listened to the Snake and killed us when you had the chance."**

 _ **Thirty years ago...**_

"Another flashback…who's going to die now?" Ruby asked rhetorically.

 **A younger Jiraiya clad in gear befitting that of a soldier knelt beside a sobbing Tsunade, who wore a similar uniform with the traditional MEDC symbol on her shoulders. She was huddled over the form of their dead teammate, and even today Jiraiya would never deny that tears of his own were burning his eyes while he held her close.**

Yang raised a brow at her.

"I didn't mean it!" The young leader sputtered.

"Wow, you totally killed that guy, Ruby." Nora said with a teasing smile.

"The show wasn't supposed to answer me!"

 **The last member of Team Sarutobi, a pasty white skinned man with snake-like eyes and long black hair, wearing a lighter uniform than both of theirs, signifying a higher rank, had turned away from the body. His attention was drawn by a soft sound that came from the rubble of a building to their left.**

 **"Jiraiya, Tsunade, get ahold of yourselves." He spoke not coldly, but calmly. At the moment, it was the same thing to Jiraiya.**

 **"Orochimaru, even you can't be so callous towards Dan's-!"**

 **"Shut up, idiot." Hissed their teammate, Orochimaru. He drew a sword from behind him, a long double-edged sword that had well concealed hints of an alternative ranged form. Golden, snake-like eyes narrowed at the rubble. "We're no longer alone here."**

 **"...Not...Alone..." Tsunade mumbled as she wiped furiously at her eyes. She followed Orochimaru's pointed finger and her hazel eyes narrowed. "Would someone truly be so foolish? To remain...remain where they killed Dan?" Her hands clenched into tight fists and she rose to her feet. "Where they killed my love?!"**

"Oh snap…she's the super strong one…she's gonna flip." Yang whisper.

"No shit." Coco whispered back, drinking in the drama.

Pyrrha frowned at them. "Can you not act so excited?"

"It's good drama. Sue me, Nikos."

 **"Tsunade! No!" Jiraiya got up and quickly wrapped his arms tightly around her stomach, holding her in place. She screamed and struggled in his grasp. "Dammit, woman, shut up and wait!"**

 **"No! Dan's killer could be right there! Let me go! Dammit! Damn you, Jiraiya!"**

"I can see Yang doing that." Weiss stated.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Please, I'd be out of that hold and punching holes into people."

Ruby gave her sister a worried look.

Yang saw the look and smiled at her, ruffling her hair. "Kidding, kidding."

Ruby didn't believe her.

 **"Tsunade, if you don't shut up I will cut out your tongue!" Orochimaru snapped lowly. He held his sword up and returned his attention towards the rubble. "We are members of Konohagakurenosato's militia! We will come and kill you if you do not show yourself in three seconds! Three...Two...O-!"**

 **"Holy shit, you're serious! Don't! Wait! I'm coming out!" A high voice exclaimed before a lone figure ran out of the building. It was short, clad in ragged and soaked clothes, with a ratty pack that was slung from its back. The figure was a boy, no older than ten. He had spiky orange hair and a round face with brown eyes that stared at them in fear, but stood with his hands up.**

 **"...It's...just a kid." Jiraiya muttered as he let a shocked Tsunade down.**

 **"And the others?" Orochimaru instead asked.**

 **"W-What're you talking about?" the boy asked nervously. "Just me, see! I'm, uh, all alone!"**

Nora pointed at the screen. "I don't believe you!"

 **"...Tsunade, destroy the building." Orochimaru looked at his teammate when she hesitated. "That's an order, Tsu-!"**

 **"No! Okay, alright! I'm...not alone..." The boy admitted. He turned back to the building. "Guys, come out!"**

 **Two more children of the same age soon followed. A girl with short blue hair and amber eyes, and a boy with long straight red hair that hid most of his face. They came out meekly, flanking the orange haired boy on either side, but the boy continued to stand in front of them almost protectively.**

"Aw, they were cute before they became racist psychopaths." Velvet cooed.

 **"Three kids," Tsunade said softly to her teammates as she and Jiraiya came up to stand beside Orochimaru. She frowned at them and narrowed her eyes. "Did you see who did that to my-** _ **our**_ **teammate?"**

 **"No." The orange haired boy answered with a firm shake of his head. He glanced behind them and then looked down. "But...I'm sorry he died."**

 **"..." Tsunade frowned further and crossed her arms. Jiraiya glanced at her from the corner of his eye and set a hand on her shoulder. He turned back to the kids and grinned.**

 **"Thank you. So, where're your parents? Fighting? Hiding at a shelter?" Jiraiya asked.**

 **"Dead." The redheaded boy muttered lowly. The orange haired boy and the blue haired girl gave him a small frown, as did both Jiraiya and Tsunade. Orochimaru stepped forward and knelt down to put a hand on the redheaded boy's shoulder.**

 **"Would you like me to kill you and your friends?"**

"…And it got dark." Blake frowned, looking disturbed by how easily the snake man said that.

 **"Orochimaru!" "What the fuck, Ro!?" Tsunade and Jiraiya shouted at their teammate. Orochimaru looked back at them indifferently.**

 **"I'm an orphan, a war orphan, like they are. Most barely survive warzones like this. If it weren't for Master Sarutobi, I'd likely have died. This way, they get a quick painless death." Orochimaru explained.**

"That's, wow…who knew that something like that could be so bad." Ruby muttered, her head hanging a bit.

"It's a tough world out there, Ruby." Blake told her, her voice stoic. "People do bad things just to live."

Weiss and Yang gave her a curious glance, but Blake said nothing further.

 **The orange haired boy shoved the older man away and pushed the redhead and the girl behind him.**

 **"Hell no, he doesn't want to die! None of us do, you-you snake-faced freak!" The boy glared at the man.**

 **Orochimaru arched a brow and lifted his sword contemplatively. "Really? Are you certain? It would be painless, I promise."**

Ruby snuggled into Yang, "Snake guy's starting to creep me out, well, creep me out more."

 **"Orochimaru," Jiraiya said as he put himself between the kids and his teammate. "I know you've lived a hard life, but this...if you do this, you'll be exactly what some of the others say you are!"**

 **"...This is mercy in a time of war. How does that make me a monster?" Orochimaru asked.**

 **"Because The War is technically over." Jiraiya growled. He threw his arm out and pointed at the corpse of their friend. "Besides, we've seen enough death today! Don't give in to the cycle!"**

 **"They'll starve or likely be killed, the girl taken and raised as a slave, by scavenging bandits," Orochimaru said.**

"Okay, some real heavy shit is being tossed around." Coco admitted. "Not bad, but not exactly good…"

 **"Not if they can defend themselves!"**

 **"Which they can't."**

 **"They will." Jiraiya growled. He clenched his fists and the gauntlets on them began to grow spikes. "I'll make sure of it."**

"And how that's going to bite him in the butt." Velvet shook her head.

 **Orochimaru stared at him for a good long time before he closed his eyes and sheathed his sword. He turned to Tsunade, who had watched the exchange worriedly, and tilted his head slightly.**

 **"Would you like me to prepare his body for travel?" Orochimaru asked. Tsunade blinked and then looked down.**

 **"I...I can handle it." She muttered.**

 **"Then get started." Orochimaru ordered. Tsunade nodded and walked back towards the corpse of her teammate, leaving Jiraiya and Orochimaru with the band of three children. The snake-like man glanced back at Jiraiya, the kids, and then followed her. Over his shoulder, he gave a single parting line.**

 **"Your softness will be the death of you, Jiraiya."**

"Ominous." Weiss frowned.

Blake snorted. "No kidding…I think it's a foreshadowing line."

Yang panicked. "No way! Oh man, but he's so, so freaking cool!"

"And perverted."

"Semantics!"

 _ **Present**_

"Thank god." Ruby muttered with relief.

"Now we can watch the death match!" Nora said, her scroll making fanfare noises.

The little hooded girl grumbled. And Yang wouldn't let them change the channel since her 'love life' was involved.

Meanie.

 **"I've never regretted letting you three live." Jiraiya boldly proclaimed.**

Blake and Velvet readily objected.

 **He lifted his hands up and balled them into tight fists. "I was even inspired to take on more students after I left you guys. Teaching became one of my favorite things to do, and I thought I was pretty good at it. Heh, goes to show how much I suck if you fell into this sort of crowd."**

 **"God told me to accompany Him in the path of cleansing this world of war," Konan said as she readied her scythe.**

"Rip-off artist!"

Yang raised a brow at the huffing and puffing Ruby. "Didn't you rip-off Uncle Qrow?"

"Yang! You're supposed to be on my side!" Ruby poutingly protested.

"Well, if you had my back, I would have had yours, so there!" Yang roared with laughter.

Truly karma was something to be feared.

 **"By exterminating an entire species!?" Jiraiya asked incredulously. "You do realize that at this point most of the planet's humans have some Faunus' lineage, don't you!? That recessive genes will sprout forward sooner or later?"**

 **"I will plunge this world into Hell if that means I've helped God achieve true peace." Konan intoned, her grip on her scythe tightening. Her eyes narrowed.**

"Okay, he can kill her." Blake hissed. "'True peace'? This woman wouldn't know it if it slapped her in the face."

"I hope people flame her, badly." Velvet agreed.

Nora tilted her head. "Are other people even watching this?" She looked around, "And haven't we been here for like, a while? What time is it?"

No one answered, too busy over the intense scene.

"Okay…"

 **"I figured you'd be more understanding, since our goals are the same."**

 **"Our goals are** _ **not**_ **the same." Jiraiya growled. His padded olive gauntlets started to grow spikes along his knuckles. "And it seems it is my failure as your master to teach you the path to true peace."**

"What is true peace?" Ruby asked philosophically, twirling a cookie between her fingers. "Is it a whole cookie, bliss to be tasted by all?" She took a bit. "Or is it the hollow feeling that it is just a dream, pursued by idealists? Never to whole like this cookie?"

Everyone's jaw unhinged at her.

Weiss asked. "Wha?"

Ruby finished her cookie. "Sorry, low sugar makes me act weird."

Some glanced at Yang, who shrugged.

"Hey, this is new to me too."

 **"If that is what you believe, then your only failure was leaving us alive," Konan said. She launched herself forward and made a swing with her scythe. Jiraiya jumped out of the way and Konan wound up slicing through the building behind his previous position.**

 **"That, my lovely student, is apparently something we can agree on." Jiraiya muttered as he reappeared right behind her. He prepared to throw a punch, only to quickly bring his arms up to shield his face when the paper fist that got him before sprouted from Konan's back, twice the size it was before.**

"That is so cheap!" Ruby shook her fist in protest.

"Some could say that about my Semblance." Pyrrha reminded her.

"Yeah, but you're cool about it."

 **The surprise blow sent him back through the tavern into an old industrial building nearby.**

 **Konan kept herself upright and turned to face the direction she knocked the man in. The disinterested, if not outright bored, look remained on her face and she began to follow Jiraiya's flight path.**

 **"Just because we agree on that, does not mean I will make it easy for you." Konan muttered to herself.**

"Hope he kicks her butt." Velvet wrinkled her nose.

 **"Wow, that was a hell of a hit." Jiraiya muttered while he brushed his thumb against his lip. No blood, yet. Jiraiya took the victory where he could and quickly surveyed his surroundings. An industrial water factory of some sort, a toxicity filter perhaps? No matter, it'll be better than fighting in useless rain and mud.**

 **...Which was softer than the concrete beneath his sandals.**

 _ **...I can't help but wonder if she planned for me to land here or if it was out of sheer luck.**_ **Jiraiya thought to himself with a grimace. He jumped back at the sound of a water drop tapping on the ground. Dark eyes wandered from one shadow to the next and Jiraiya reached behind him for one of his supply pouches.** _ **It seems that the Myōboku Guard won't be enough. I may actually have to use my weapon to deal with her. Heh, guess it's about time, hope I'm not too rusty. Hate for that sort of rumor to start spreading.**_

 **"My paper moves slower in the rain." Konan admitted as she emerged from a dark hallway. Her paper scythe was still in hand and the fist protruding from her back split into two drooping wings. She lifted from the ground with a flap of her makeshift joints and lifted her scythe. "Your advantage is lost, Master. Surrender, and I will make it quick."**

 **"Fifty-three."**

 **"...I beg your pardon?" Konan blinked.**

 **Jiraiya grinned and pulled out a small cylinder. "That's fifty-three times now that I've heard those words from a beautiful woman. And look at me, nearly sixty years old and still kicking."**

"For a lecher like him? I'd believe that." Weiss snorted.

 **"Your life will end here, in Vacuo's Shame, where ironically you made sure our lives began." Konan informed him.**

 **"Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" Jiraiya tightened his grip on the cylinder in his hand and then threw his arm forward. The tip of the cylinder separated, connected by a chain to the handle, and spikes protruded from its sides. Konan used her scythe to deflect the projectile, which then retracted to a short length.**

 **"A flail...A very versatile and hard-hitting weapon." Konan mumbled. "It suits you, Master."**

"Huh, neat." Ruby squinted her eyes. "But what else does it turn into."

"It really doesn't have to turn into anything." Jaune told her.

"Lies!" Ruby declared loudly. "It must! For he is the cool old man type! So rule of cool states he must be a mean motha scratcher!"

"She really doesn't curse." Yang let out a chuckle of amusement.

 **"Why thank you!" Jiraiya grinned cheekily and spun his flail around him. "I'd be honored, Konan. The last time I had to bring this bad boy out, my old teammate had gone rogue!"**

 **"Yes, Orochimaru mentioned the battle when he drew his blade on God." Konan muttered. She narrowed her eyes. "He sought out another weapon and body not soon afterwards."**

 **"Strong enough to fight Ro to the point he had to kill another? Oh yeah, this God of yours has to die." Jiraiya smirked and caught his flail beneath his arm. "So what's say we stop gabbing and fight already?"**

 **"My thoughts exactly." Konan lifted her scythe and added more paper to it, giving it an insane length. "This should be long enough to cut through your defense. Rumor has it, only the Scare Qrow was able to do so with a smaller blade."**

"Uncle Grow's blade is huge." Ruby disagreed.

"Compared to you." Yang shoved her teasingly.

 **"Little bird's tall tales shouldn't be the basis for your attack. Now stop talking about fighting me and fight me!" Jiraiya barked as he threw his flail at Konan again.**

"Finally!" Nora cried out. "I was getting sick of all the talk and flashbacks. What is this? Some comic turned TV series?"

"Nora, more sugar." Ren told her, giving her more soda. "You know you get cranky."

Nora just chugged the can and toss it to the side after crushing it.

"Whoa." Velvet muttered.

 **It was knocked aside by one of the wings this time and Konan dove with the scythe drawn over her shoulder. She swung when she felt she was close enough, and narrowed her eyes when she felt her blade stopped. White hair, spiked to sharp tips, surrounded Jiraiya's body, leaving only a portion of his face free.**

 **"You know, this is a bit unfair. I think I might need to clip your wings." Jiraiya grinned partially at Konan. His hair quickly unwound from around him and bound Konan's arms and paper wings to her torso. The scythe in her hand shattered and formed little paper birds.**

 **"Oh my. That's a deadly swarm if I ever did see one." Jiraiya mused. He flicked his wrist and his mace whipped around him, knocking the paper creatures out of the sky. Konan stared down at her defeated birds, not in shock or horror or even awe. It was still that same frown of impassive annoyance, as if she were more upset with his ability to not die than he was impressed with his skill.**

"Blow to the pride if one could say so." Coco agreed, that was pretty wicked.

 **To be frank, it was quite insulting for the aged Huntsman.**

 **"Well, since I've failed to awe you with my skill, why not tell me who your God is?" Jiraiya asked his captured student as he crossed his arms. "I know his epithets: The God of Tears, the Immortal King of Vacuo's Shame, and, the most horrendous title one could have; The Leader of the Fourth War. Forgo anymore of this foolishness, Konan, and tell your old master...Is it Yahiko or Nagato?"**

 **"Why not just ask me...Master?" A deep voice inquired from above. Jiraiya looked away from Konan and towards the speaker, and his heart nearly stopped.**

 **A man with long orange hair pulled into a high ponytail stood on the ledge above them. The cloak that signified his place as a member in the Fourth War was wrapped around his body. Piercings decorated his face and ears, going through his nose and lips, in horrendous fashion. It was those** _ **eyes**_ **, those purple rippled eyes, which bore past Jiraiya's physical form and stared directly into the very essence of his soul that had taken Jiraiya's breath away.**

 **"So...It's you then, Nagato?" Jiraiya asked morosely once he found his voice. He closed his eyes and thought of the redheaded boy that stood behind his friends. Soft-spoken, gentle, open hearted...Jiraiya opened his eyes and glared at the impassive face of his former student. "How did you turn into...this monster?"**

"It's always the quiet ones." Weiss shook her head, glancing at Blake with amused eyes.

"…That's just profiling." Blake frowned, swiping Weiss' strawberry tart without her noticing.

 **"I did exactly as you told me I would, Master." Nagato held his arms out, revealing them to bear the same stub piercings that decorated his face. His fingers had purple nail polish decorating them. "You told me that my eyes were that of a God's...and I simply ascended to that level."**

 **"It was a story! A fairy tale!" Jiraiya snapped and slashed the air with his hand. "You are no more a God than I!"**

"Now I want to know that story because how to really creepy contacts make you a god?" Ruby mumbled around a cookie.

"Chew properly." Weiss chided her and went for her tart. When she saw nothing, she said. "Who took my tart?"

Blake just licked her lips with a tiny smile.

The perfect heist.

 **"...Perhaps you will need to be shown." Nagato narrowed his eyes and lifted one hand. "Behold...The power of God."**

 **From the center of his palm a white mask slowly emerged from a bright light, followed by the black form of a massive Ursa Grimm. The bear-like Grimm roared as it descended to the ground. It could sense the hatred of its target and its eyes turned into the same purple ripple pattern that its summoner had.**

"…Pause!" Weiss demanded. "Did he just summon Grimm?!"

"Okay, so maybe _god_ isn't that far of a stretch." Ruby gulped.

 **Jiraiya's eyes widened and he quickly flicked his wrist to dispatch the Grimm with his flail. The Ursa's head was removed from its body, which then crashed to the ground ungracefully, before it began to dissolve. Jiraiya grit his teeth and glared up at his student, forced to jump away when a massive spinning shuriken was thrown at him. His hair released Konan and he landed a good distance from both of his former students.**

 **"So what, what's your big-Oh..." Jiraiya trailed off as more Grimm began to appear when Nagato lifted his other hand. A grand force, easily enough to overpower a small settlement, of Beowolves and Ursa snarled and growled at him. Nagato hovered over them with Konan at his side.**

 **"For the record, Master. I've stopped going by Nagato. A mortal would answer to it, but I am a God." The purple-eyed man cracked the smallest of smiles. "You may call me Pein. For that is what will save this world."**

"I can see it on all the merchandise now." Yang said dryly. "Vote for your new god, Pein! Where we really get into tattoos and piercings, godly approved!"

"But why would a god need merchandise?" Ruby asked her, making Weiss answer.

"Good PR, but still…I doubt he'd ever have it. Even with a decent tee-shirt line."

Pyrrha nodded. "Self-mutilation is frowned upon, unless you're a Rockstar or just into it."

"I wanted a tattoo once." Yang sighed forlornly, but her dad said no. Big time.

 **"...All right...You can summon Grimm out of thin air. That's...That's impressive." Jiraiya cracked a small cheeky grin and then lifted his thumb to his mouth. "But, I can do something better. A boon, so to speak, that my position grants me."**

 **Nagato and Konan watched, unimpressed as Jiraiya bit down on his thumb hard enough to draw blood. Then, with his blood, he quickly drew a symbol on his palm, his eyes still on his two former students. Once the finished, he slammed his hand onto the ground, and a plume of smoke shot up around him.**

 **"So you think you're above humanity just because you've got some special eyes, huh? Well in that case, perhaps then I'm not human any more either! Because guess what, kid? These tears of blood on my face aren't born from sorrow, they're overflowing because of Remnant's Rage! After years of my life spent in solitude travelling across the land, I've truly ascended and went from boy to Sage!" Jiraiya crowed as the cloud slowly dissipated to reveal several armored individuals, all wearing similar ninja-like attire beneath the metal plates. Around their heads were bands that bore the same mark on Jiraiya's headband. The Toad Sage grinned at his students and readied his flail under his arm. "Prepare to be overwhelmed by the forces of Remnant's Protectors! We are those that do what needs be done! The brave few who sacrifice it all, even our lives if need be, to protect our families! This is the Wandering Toad Clan of Mount Myōboku and** _ **I**_ **am their handsome leader, The Toad Sage, Jiraiya!"**

"That was epic and all, but how did he do that?" Ruby asked.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Blake, who grinned like the cat she was.

"Don't you dare."

"Ninja."

"No!"

"Magic."

"Gah! I hate those words, forever I will hate them!" Weiss fumed like a child, she almost stomped her foot. But she had too much dignity to do so.

Blake just smirked. It was the little things in life.

 **"..." Na-** _ **Pein**_ **simply narrowed his eyes. "You've not matured in the slightest, Master."**

 **"Good! Because a wise old fool once told me that maturity was overrated!" Jiraiya's grin widened for a brief moment before that grin slipped into a frown. "Your men have attacked my home, killed my friends and countless other innocents. You bring the threat of The War, to encourage the same suffering that you, Konan and Yahiko had lived through. Why would you wish that on anyone else?"**

 **"...Because in order to make peace, there must first be** _ **pain**_ **." Pein explained simply. He held his hand out and addressed his summoned monsters. "Kill them."**

 **"Shinobi!" One of the armored warriors cried out as he drew a katana from his back, while the rest of the forces drew similar or varied weapons. "Fight to the last breath!"**

"Please don't." Ruby pleaded quietly. Man, she thought this was PG-13, but I guess they were really milking that rating.

 **The Toad Clan rushed forward with a war cry to meet their monstrous foes. The Grimm horde snarled, slashed, yelped, roared, and howled throughout it all as their numbers dwindled, but not one member of the summoned warrior fell. Jiraiya fought amongst his troops, using simple hand-to-hand or utilizing his flail as a club to dispatch the beasts, when one of his summoned warriors stopped him from targeting a large Ursa that had managed to barge through the impressive front the Clan made.**

 **"Lord Jiraiya," the warrior, clad in red armor bearing a shield and a large forked kanabō, addressed him. "Let us have these mindless beasts, and we will leave the cowardly** _ **dog**_ **to you."**

 **"Many thanks, Ken." Jiraiya grinned at one of his strongest and then glared up at Pein and Konan, who simply watched the fight from above. He crouched down and crossed his arms in front of his face before he launched himself into the air. He pulled his arm back and swung his flail forward, the tip of his weapon heading right for Pein's face.**

 **"Konan-."**

 **Whatever Pein was about to say was cut off as the woman moved in front of her God and took the blow for him, leaving Jiraiya slack-jawed.**

Ruby squeaked, covering her eyes.

"Whoa, dark." Yang frowned.

"Extremists are like that." Blake snorted in distaste, looking bitter.

 **The elder man landed on the same ledge she and Pein rested on, and watched his former student crumple to the ground with blood pooling from her mouth.**

 **"...You are no longer a man, Nagato, that much is true." Jiraiya growled. He tightened his hands into fists. "To make your friend die for you..."**

 **"Konan's actions are of her own choice. If she wishes to take a blow for me and die for it, then I will honor her sacrifice. I will then use that pain I feel to destroy whatever caused her such harm." Pein drawled. His eyes glowed bright and he held his hands out to his side. Two white portals appeared beside him and five figures emerged from them. One in particular stepped forward, and again Jiraiya lost the words that were on the edge of his tongue.**

 **Spiked orange hair that hadn't changed in the slightest told Jiraiya what he dreaded. Though piercings decorated his face and his eyes had the same rings in them as the other five men, it was him. It was impossibly him. Jiraiya was horrified at what had happened to the last of his Shamed Children.**

"Isn't that the other guy…?" Ruby shuddered.

"Yeah, holy moly." Jaune uttered with a quiver in his tone.

 **"Yahiko..." He muttered sadly. He looked at each of the bodies. "Then these people are..."**

 **"Since you'll be dead, it won't matter if I tell you. These bodies are merely conduits for my power. They are my Six Paths of Pein." Yahiko's mouth moved, and his voice emerged, but Jiraiya could tell that it was not his words. Then that meant the real Pein, the** _ **real**_ **Nagato, was not among them. Yahiko stepped forward and held up his right arm, just as pierced as the first body's, and his eyes narrowed. "Now be useful for once in your life, Master, and die."**

 **A massive wave of** _ **something**_ **crashed against Jiraiya's form and he flew back. The elder Huntsman flipped midair to land on his feet. "**

"What was that?" Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "It looked like a sonic blast or something."

 **He threw his flail forward, but it reflected off of something and was launched back at its owner. Jiraiya barely managed to sidestep out of the way, releasing his flail's handle and letting it soar through the wall behind him with a loud bang that shook the building's foundation.**

 **Below him, his men fought and cut down the Grimm that Pein summoned. A few fell, never to rise again, but more than that survived. Jiraiya put his attention on Konan's lifeless form. She gave her life to save a monster that was her friend. Across from him, eyes narrowed, Yahiko's body outstretched both hands.**

 **Jiraiya ducked his head and grit his teeth.**

 **He was in for one hell of a fight.**

"And we always like that!" Nora smiled happily. She loved a good fight scene!

"…But what about my bet!" Yang complained.

"But this is cool!" Ruby argued. "And scary, but still cool."

"No disagreement, but it's not my priority." Yang huffed, crossing her arms with a pout.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXIV: End of an Era**

 **VA Vol. 4 Opening**

 **(Ch 34)**

 **Song: "Born to Rise" – Redlight King**

 **Track time(s): 0:53 – 2:27**

 **Run time: 1:34**

"Oh, cool! New opening!" Nora cheered, swinging her body to the beat.

 **[For a few seconds, all that's on the screen is darkness, then the rock music blares to life and a map of Remnant is shown.]**

"Well, I guess we know where they got that idea." Velvet said, "It was an interesting way to start a episode."

 **[** _ **We are the ones who are born to rise**_ **/** _ **We are the ones with the fire inside**_ **/** _ **I go to war with the brothers I trust**_ **/** _ **And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us**_ **/** _ **We are the ones who will bring the rain**_ **/** _ **We are the ones who will break the chain**_ **/** _ **I go to war with the brothers I trust**_ **/** _ **And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us**_ **.]**

 **[The map is stabbed with a dagger and the camera backs up to show many of the Shinobi from Myōboku within the Mysterious Tree, the one who stabbed the dagger was Roshi, a fierce look of anger on his face. He looked up and the camera panned to Team NHKS, all wearing different gear than normal and stood in silent rage, Naruto in particular looked ready to kill.**

Yang frowned and titled her head. "Huh, hard to say if that's scary or hot…leaning more towards scary right now."

"Wow, you're not thinking with your libido for once." Weiss quipped. "It's a miracle."

"I know right?"

 **Roshi pointed at a few places on the map and the teens nodded before they left and Roshi returned his attention to the map.]**

"Boo."

"Racist." Blake told Weiss with a frown.

"No, just his perverted nature annoys me. So don't try and slander me, Kitty Cat."

"Oh snap." Yang's eyes widened while Blake's narrowed.

"You did not just call me-!"

"Shh, we're watching."

 **[** _ **What'd you know about standing up when the odds get stacked?**_ **/** _ **Time stands still, ain't no turnin' back**_ **/** _ **When everything you're worth is under attack**_ **/** _ **What'd you know about heart? What'd you know about that?**_ **/** _ **Write it off as criminal, a place to cast the stone**_ **/** _ **On and on we carry on when one is not enough**_ **.]**

 **[The camera shows Kurama taking on a dozen Fourth War grunts, being particularly ruthless as he does, before he is forced to defend himself against a shark-like man.**

"Okay, how did _that_ happen?" Jaune asked, no one really have a good answer.

"Nature is weird?" Nora shrugged.

 **The strain is switched to show Sasuke and Haku fighting off a madly grinning shirtless tri-scythe user,**

"Why is everyone using scythes?!" Ruby stomped her foot. "I was doing it way longer before it became popular! Possers!"

"Aren't you one?"

"Now is not the, Yang." Ruby chided her big sister.

 **who reattached limbs when they were cut off.**

"How, that looks like it'd come in handy." Yang waved her right hand, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Ugh." Her team groaned.

 **The camera cut to Team KAAG fighting alongside a silver-haired man whose lower face was covered by a mask and whose left eye had a scar over it against Pein's favored body. Pein beats them all into the ground and uses a gravity attack that turns the screen white as the chorus starts up once more.]**

Pyrrha snapped her fingers. "Of course, gravity. Terrifyingly powerful."

 **[** _ **We are the ones who are born to rise**_ **/** _ **We are the ones with the fire inside**_ **/** _ **I go to war with the brothers I trust**_ **/** _ **And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us**_ **/** _ **We are the ones who will bring the rain**_ **/** _ **We are the ones who will break the chain**_ **/** _ **I go to war with the brothers I trust**_ **/** _ **And there ain't no stoppin' us, there ain't no stopping us**_ **.]**

 **[The dust settles and a ragged Team NHKS slowly rises across from Pein. First on his feet, Naruto's eyes gain orange rings around them as he rushes forward and Pein holds his hand up.**

"Mm, I don't know about the eyeshadow." Yang knitted her brow. "It'd look better on me. B for effort though."

 **Naruto's stopped by an invisible wall and Pein visibly strains to keep the barrier up. The foe sends the teen flying back only for Naruto to land on his knees and get back to his feet. He looks at Haku and Sasuke on his left and then at Kurama on his right, before the four of them charge forward. Pein lifts his hand one more time. The image whites out in time with the music, which is before Team NHKS can resume their battle with Pein.]**

"Aw, that was a tease!" Ruby pouted. "You don't hang awesome battles like that in front of us!"

Truly, it was such a cruelty.

 **"It matters not how long you run or where you go. You cannot escape me, Master." Yahiko's voice haunted Jiraiya as the older man fled through a darkened pipeline. His right hand clung to his limp left arm, which was cut deeply, and his sandals clacked loudly along the metal. He could feel Naga-** _ **Pein**_ **'s eyes following him in the shadows.**

"Uh, I don't think this was where we left off." Jaune pointed out.

"Of course the networks censor stuff, boo!" Yang waved her fist in outrage.

 _ **Dammit!**_ **Jiraiya thought to himself with gritted teeth. He rushed around a corner and narrowed his eyes.** _ **I really am a sappy idiot, aren't I? One 'miracle' and that's all it takes for me to lower my guard.**_

 **He recalled the events that led to his current retreat.**

"Or it's just a flashback…my bad."

 **Not too long ago, Jiraiya faced five of Pein's Paths on the rooftops of the industrial building. Yahiko's body – Jiraiya refused to call his former student's corpse by that ridiculous name – was in the lead, his hands outstretched as his eyes narrowed. Another gale of that strange** _ **something**_ **– it wasn't aura and it certainly wasn't wind – nearly knocked Jiraiya off of the roof. He** _ **barely**_ **managed to avoid its impact, and spare a millisecond to glance at the remains of where he previously stood.**

 _ **Flattened and cracked, like something heavy had just slammed into it. So...What kind of energy manages to deal out that sort of damage?**_

"Gravity apparently."

Jaune leaned towards Pyrrha's ear. "I don't think he knows that."

"True, but I just want to marvel at it. You rarely see such a Semblance."

"Or one that makes you a 'God'." Weiss snorted with distaste.

Pyrrha agreed with her on that one.

This guy(s?) was just plain broken.

 **Jiraiya asked himself as he avoided one of the other paths' hands, which were intent on grabbing hold of him. It was a tall lanky fellow – was being the operative term – whose hair had grown to match Jiraiya's in length and like its brethren, save for the one with tape on its head, it had orange hair. Though unlike the Toad Sage, the path had not bound his hair in any way.**

 **"Trying to determine the causes of one of God's abilities is akin to asking the meaning of life, Master." The Path intoned as it looked into Jiraiya's eyes.**

 **"The meaning of life? I already know the answer to that one." Jiraiya grinned.**

"…If he says breasts, I'm turning it off." Weiss warned.

"Come on, you are such a prude." Yang rolled her eyes.

"And you're a deploring lecher to our gender with bare minimum shame."

Yang was silent, looking stunned at the insult.

Weiss was inwardly cackling at finally getting Yang to shut up.

It was the little victories.

 **He caught the Path by the arms and bashed his horned headband into its face. The Path's head flew back reflexively, consequently leaving it off guard for when Jiraiya whipped around and threw the body to the other Paths. Yahiko's body merely sidestepped it, allowing it to fall and land in a broken manner on the ground.**

 **"Do you? Then tell me, what do you believe it to be, Master?" Yahiko's body asked.**

 **"Living life to the fullest, of course!" Jiraiya grinned widely. "Enjoying our brief time on this planet while trying to make a difference for the next generation is what Life is all about!"**

Weiss looked surprised. "That was honestly…respectable."

"So you like him now?" Ruby asked.

"Of course not."

Yang just rolled her eyes.

 **"You are an insult to Huntsmen everywhere." If Pein's words hurt Jiraiya, he didn't let it show. "How you became what you are today, I will never understand."**

"Wow, he pulled a Weiss."

The heiress glared at Yang, who shrugged.

Payback was a bitch.

 **"Right back at you, Nagato." Jiraiya muttered darkly before he grinned and performed a backflip to avoid being tackled by the somewhat Chubby Path. "Missed!"**

 **"I won't." Yahiko intoned as he appeared in front of Jiraiya, his hand an inch away from the man's face. "Kneel before God and accept your penance."**

"This is really reminding me of my Sundays…but not the happy chores and really good dinners." Jaune muttered.

 **"Not today." Jiraiya shot back as he pushed the hand out of the way and leapt up to deliver a ruthless roundhouse that knocked his former student's body back. He landed with both feet spread wide and his arms out. "Tell me,** _ **Pein**_ **, have you ever killed someone face to face, or did you always use these 'paths' of yours?"**

"Bet he tells his little minions to do it all." Coco snorted with distain. "Or with his puppets."

 **"...The last person I killed myself is the one you just kicked in the face." The bandaged path said with a raspy voice. Its arms lifted up and the hands shifted into gun barrels of a massive caliber. Before it could fire, Jiraiya appeared between its arms with his eyes now hard, with his nostrils flared.**

 **"You turned on** _ **Yahiko**_ **?" Jiraiya snarled as he grabbed onto the path's shoulders. In a show of monstrous strength, he ripped the arms from their sockets and used them to knock the body away. The arms were then tossed at Yahiko's body, knocking it onto its back to the rooftop. Jiraiya rounded on the Chubby Path narrowed eyes. "You** _ **shame**_ **his memory by using him as your front!"**

"Oh man, this is getting really dark guys." Ruby looked nervous. "Not feeling okay here."

"Shh." The older kids told her.

 **"Master..." A gentle voice that came from behind made Jiraiya's eyes widen. He rounded to see the beefier Yahiko-lookalike walk from the hole he'd been thrown through with Konan at his side. Only Konan was unharmed, in fact, she looked as if they hadn't fought at all. Konan's gaze was filled with sorrow and remorse as she looked to Yahiko's rising body. "Yahiko ...went against** _ **us**_ **."**

"That's not a bad thing, jerk." Blake scowled, crossing her arms.

This guy was just really agitating her in the worst ways.

"Wait, she died." Ren pointed out.

"…ZOMBIE?!" Nora cried out in terror. "Get the prep kits! Get the Zombie-Blockers! We need a nuke!"

"Let's not go that far…But I agree," Coco frowned. "Why is she still alive? Bitch needed to die."

 **"As he should have!" Jiraiya snapped, forgetting that the student he'd just killed was now walking and seemingly back at top form. He almost paid for his absentmindedness with his left arm as a paper blade swung out at him. As it was, he leapt away to avoid the strike, only to be blindsided by the Chubby Path. Jiraiya slammed back into the rooftop hard, rising up and grabbing the deep gash that Konan's attack left in its wake. Through gritted teeth, he glowered at his impassive students' faces. "So, you can defy the course of natural order. You can revive the dead. A true God would not do such things,** _ **Pein**_ **."**

"But isn't that a good power?" Ruby scratched her head. "I mean, imagine the people that could be saved."

"Natural order, Ruby." Velvet shook her head. "People die, you can't stop that."

"Oh…right." The young girl just looked down, a deep frown on her round face.

 **"Pain is the salvation of us all, Master." The Tall Path's deep voice intoned as it appeared behind him. A hand landed on Jiraiya's shoulder and his eyes went wide. Though he could not see it, he could feel something being pulled from his body, not Aura, but–**

 **Jiraiya snapped out of his daze and, with all the strength he could muster, jumped up and out of the Tall Path's grasp. Falling forward, Jiraiya mule kicked the Tall Path away before it could finish pulling out what he believed to be his soul, which was inclined to be the source of aura and life in general.**

"And the nightmare fuel continues…that you TV, thank you." Jaune scowled with scorn.

 **The Tall Path soared away and slammed into a water tower on a nearby building. The Beefy Yahiko raced after it.**

 _ **Likely to bring it back to full power,**_ **Jiraiya supposed with narrowed eyes and haggard breaths.** _ **I need to pull myself together and then retreat. However, in order to do that, I need time, more time than Pein will give me. So...why not keep him talking?**_

 **"These...** _ **Paths**_ **..." Jiraiya managed to gasp out. He cringed inwardly at how weak and** _ **old**_ **he sounded, but he could feel his strength return. "They...have names?"**

 **"In the traditional sense? No," Yahiko/Pein said. It held up six fingers – Jiraiya kept his gaze locked on the fully extended palm, aware of how the forceful attack was triggered by the extension of Yahiko's hand – and spoke stoically. "I have assigned certain labels to each Path to keep them straight, borrowed from the Story of the Sage. Samsara, the God who taught The Sage, had seven trials for him to complete:**

"Okay, when has religion affected a show so much?" Nora asked. "Because I didn't ask for a lesson on something like this."

"Many stories hail from some Epic, Story, and Fable at its core." Ren told her. "It's how modern culture interpret it."

"Yeah but I want to see fighty fighty, not talky talky."

"Fair point."

 **The first trial was to obtain the Blood of Deva, the God who kept mankind bound to the land, which allowed the Sage to manipulate the planet's gravity. I deemed Yahiko's body worthy of using this ability, of being my Deva Path."**

"He must be _so_ fluttered." Weiss snorted.

 **"I'm sure...he's honored." Jiraiya spat while his breathing evened out. His eyes narrowed as he looked around "Then...there's five more Trials."**

 **Jiraiya's eyes wandered along the five until they landed on the Bulky Yahiko-lookalike, who returned with the Tall Path in perfect condition. Jiraiya recalled how the Path revived Konan and he racked his brain. Finally, just as he came up with an answer – which only took him five seconds longer than usual – Yahi-Er, the Deva Path spoke up.**

 **"Naraka, the Gatekeeper of the Underworld," Pein said. He almost sounded smug! Oh, what Jiraiya would do to that redheaded brat if he didn't need to buy time for his own escape. "The second trial required the Sage to obtain Naraka's Key, to ensure that the Sage wouldn't die before his tests were over."**

"That's cheap…talk about a cheat code for the road." Ruby pouted. "If it's a test, he should have taken it like everyone else."

"We don't even know what the test was? But we would if you kept quiet." Her partner told her.

 **"I know the story!" Jiraiya spat out. He grimaced and shifted back when his arm let out a painful throb.** _ **What I wouldn't give to have Tsunade here right now...**_ **he thought. Pushing the pain he felt away, Jiraiya gave Deva Path a glower. "But...since you think I'm going to die, go ahead and tell me more."**

 **The Deva Path arched a brow.**

 **"And allow you more time to heal? I think not, Master."**

Coco haplessly shrugged. "Well, that's a bust."

"He was close." Velvet gave a wishy washy motion of her hand.

 **His extended hand let out a familiar pulse and Jiraiya grit his teeth. With all the Aura he could spare, Jiraiya willed his semblance alive, his hair grew into a proud mane that quickly wrapped around him and hardened itself like it was a cocoon. Jiraiya's quick action kept him from feeling his body blast through the building that he'd sent the Tall Path towards moments before.**

"Whoa, it's like that one ride…The Human Pinball." Ruby whispered with remembrance of her crazy childhood days.

"Didn't you throw up?"

Ruby sent her sister a glare. "I threw up with pride, Yang! With cookie and milk filled pride!"

"Gross." Weiss stuck out her tongue.

 **Though, Jiraiya didn't have enough aura to cushion his fall to the ground afterwards. The Toad Sage broke through the muddy ground of the Crying Land, shattering it like it were glass, and fell into a dark tunnel filled with endless pipes and concrete. Panting heavily, he rose up and fled into the shadows, more than aware of the inevitable pursuing forces that would follow him.**

Fox gave a grunt of impatience.

"We're finally back at the start of it, stop being a baby." Coco told her partner.

 _ **Which brings me back here,**_ **Jiraiya thought as he ducked into a small corridor and pressed himself against a wall. He closed his eyes and willed his Aura to heal him faster, gritting his teeth as he felt the cells form abnormally and knit the wound closed. To take his mind from the injury, Jiraiya considered the Story of the Sage.**

 _ **Naraka and Deva, two trials the Sage have passed. The third trial was supposed to be the defeat of the War God Asura, but that was changed when bandits ambushed the Sage,**_ **Jiraiya thought. He thought back to the Lanky Path and scowled.** _ **With the Key of Naraka, not only could the Sage decide when he would die on this journey, he decided the fate of others, and pulled the souls from his would-be attackers. 'The Mortals kept at bay with this display.' Damn, so he can revive freshly dead with the Naraka Path and remove souls with, er, the Mortal Path.**_

"No Semblance should be able to do that." Weiss snorted at the childishly OP power. "I can see why this is fiction…along with Yang's perfect boyfriend."

"…She did _not_ just say that." Yang muttered with clenched fists, eyes flaring red.

"I think she did." Ruby whispered to her.

"Ruby, no talking. I'm fuming."

"Kay."

 **The gentle clack of sandal upon metal made Jiraiya cease all thought and still his breaths. He waited patiently until the sound passed by, doing so in the form of the Bandaged Path.**

 _ **Well, I think I know who the War God is.**_ **Jiraiya thought dryly as his subconscious re-named the form that walked by.** _ **So, the Asura Path can change itself into any weapon, something considered useless for the fifth trial, against the Warding God Preta. It would be enough to get close, though, so your energy wasn't sapped...Shit, that means Tubby is Preta. Which leaves the Grimm Path to, of course, the summoner.**_

Ruby was counting on her fingers, trying to keep track of all the different paths and what they could do.

"This is confusing." She concluded.

"I hear ya." Nora agreed.

Ren shook his head. "It's not that hard to keep track of them. You just have to think of what they can do, not their names."

"Right, like Fat Sucking Guy."

"…Sure."

 **Jiraiya would've patted himself on the back if he didn't think now wasn't an appropriate time to do so. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and forced a tired grin onto his face.**

 _ **Six Paths of Pein, what an apt title for your little group of abominations, Nagato.**_ **Jiraiya thought as he dabbed at his closing wound with his good hand and bloodied his fingertips. He silently crouched down and began to trace a symbol into the ground.** _ **However, what my former student forgets is that the Story of the Sage ends with the Sage refusing Samsara's request to bequeath the abilities to him, instead using these abilities to create a mineral that would aid the Human and Faunus alike for many years to come: Dust.**_

"I have a feeling there's a forbidden fruit moment here." Blake frowned, her bow twitching.

 **The symbol painted on the ground resembled the spiral Jiraiya's current apprentice wore proudly, but had several markings that matched those found near many dust excavations in Vacuo. To any outsider, they would be random squiggles or jagged lines marked in the dirt. To a Huntsman or Huntress, it would resemble old markings often seen on ancient Grimm. To a member of the Wanderers, they meant more often than not, that it was time to leave.**

 **Why?**

 _ **A little infusion of Aura and...**_ **Jiraiya grinned and put both hands on the shapes he drew. A bright blue light shone from the ground and then expanded outward in a bright dome, illuminating the tunnels he hid within.**

"Well, there goes hiding." Yang said with a nervous look.

 **Ken stabbed the bottom of his kanabō staff into the last Ursa Grimm and looked over the carnage his fellows left in their wake. Bodies of the Grimm Horde lay decaying into black wisps, not one remaining after the fight, and from his count, only a half-dozen or so of the forty-something strong group had been lost. Those fallen were the newest, the rookies who'd answered their leader's call, eager to make a name for themselves.**

"Well, you know what they say." Yang gave a rueful shake of her head. "Live fast, die young."

"I live fast…" Ruby pouted.

"Grow up, Ruby." Yang shoved her. "You know what I mean."

"Not really."

 _ **They died with honor,**_ **Ken thought morosely. He turned to the remaining troops, prepared to order advancement on the leader of the Fourth War, when he paused. The rest of his allies felt it, too, judging by the looks of shock that crossed their faces and undoubtedly covered his own.**

 **"We retreat!" Ken ordered immediately. He pointed at the fallen members of their Clan. "Gather the dead, we bury them at home! We retreat and recover!"**

 **There was no argument made, no reason for it.**

 _ **They all know...Not to get in**_ **their** _ **way.**_ **Ken thought before he carved a symbol into the ground with his kanabō staff. Smoke encased the fighters and Ken, and seconds later, they were gone. The only evidence of their presence was the marking of a spiral leaf and bloodstains.**

"More blood 'magic'." Weiss sniffed with distain.

"Ninja magic."

Weiss took a composing breath. She would not be baited.

Blake just sent her a tiny smile.

Their war was never over.

Ninja's ruled.

 **The Deva Path of Pein stalked forward through the tunnels that rested under his domain. He was followed by Konan, who now wielded a paper spear in place of the scythe, and flanked by the Grimm Path. Ringed eyes were narrowed and focused, determined to end this farce of a confrontation.**

 _ **Master Jiraiya hasn't changed at all. His foolish notions will be the world's undoing.**_ **Pein thought in disgust.** _ **All that can save us now, is pain.**_

 **As the Deva Path rounded a bend, Pein was caught slightly off guard by the faint sound of arguing.**

 **And then there was a sudden whack.**

 **"Ow! Ma! That hurt, dammit!" The Deva Path recognized that as his outraged master. His stride quickened into a run that his path and Konan matched.**

 **"Well it's what you get for making us worry! You foolish brat, going off to pick a fight that isn't yet time to be picked!" An elderly woman's voice shouted.**

"Who brings a grandma to a fight?" Jaune asked.

"Hey," Yang argued. "She's an epic grandma, you don't know what she can do."

 **Deva Path narrowed his eyes further.**

 _ **Bringing an old woman into this fight, Master? You dare mock God?**_

"Yes, yes he does. So do we." Blake drawled.

 **The three rounded another bend and were joined by the Asura, Preta and Naraka Paths at a fork.**

 **"Now, now, Ma," the voice of an elderly man chided the woman, "Jiraiya-boy isn't at fault. After all, he was merely following up on a lead. The confrontation wasn't intentional."**

 **"Thank you, Pa." There was another whack that echoed through the tunnels. "Ow, quit doing that!"**

 **"Still, Shima has a point, Jiraiya-boy," the elder's voice said. "We're much too old to be in this sort of fight. Especially if what you say is true."**

 **"Bah, it's just some upstart little boy who's unlocked his semblance." The woman, who Pein decided had to be this Shima/Ma person, scoffed at the other elder's words.**

"Old people are awesome…" Ruby stated.

Weiss told her. "Or they just don't care at their ripe old age."

"Yeah, awesome."

 **If Pein had felt that the energy worth wasting was worth it, the Deva Path would've gained a frown on his face at Shima's words. Instead, the last of the six paths, the Mortal Path, joined with the group and Pein closed in on the voices. The Paths and Konan slowed to a stop around what Pein knew to be a dead end, but seeing that it was pitch black, he deemed it unnecessary to waste time pursing further.**

 **"Hey, it's a pretty powerful semblance, Ma!" Jiraiya returned indignantly.**

 **"Yes, yes, I gathered as much since you had to bring us out."**

 **"Oh, managed to pick up on something without being told for once?"**

 **"You be quiet you good fer nothin' ol' drunk!"**

 **"What was that you measly hag!?"**

 **"You heard me, you old fart!"**

"…Okay," Ruby took back previous. "Old people are weird."

"Thank you."

"But still kinda awesome."

Weiss just groaned into her hand.

 **"Ma, Pa, I think now isn't the time," Jiraiya said as he emerged from the shadows. The Paths of Pein's eyes narrowed as one while Konan's widened slightly in alarm.**

 **Jiraiya's nose had widened and become heavily covered in warts. His eyes shrank slightly, becoming two little peas that were yellow and toad-like. The 'tears of blood' that ran down his face had surrounded his eyes in thick red circles and gained an extra set of lines that crossed over the original lines. His shoulders were broader, his hair was thicker, and he even looked taller.**

"It's old people puberty!" Nora screamed in horror.

Weiss shuddered.

"There is no makeup to save _that_." Coco blanched.

 **The most surprising of this vast bodily shift were the two extra heads and necks that protruded from both of his trapezius muscles. On the left was the head of old men, who had gained markings like Jiraiya's, but were dark green. His thick eyebrows were white as was the hair atop his head. On the right was an older woman, with the markings in dark purple, and her faded hair turned a similar shade as Jiraiya's.**

"…Nightmare fuel. For life." Ruby frowned, her hood covering her eyes.

Yang just awkwardly patted her back. She totally agreed.

There were some things you just never imagined you'd see.

What would TV think up next?

 **They all had the same toad-like yellow eyes that flashed for a brief moment as they faced Pein.**

 **"Well, well, is this him, then?" Shima asked, turning slightly to give Jiraiya a questioning look. Jiraiya nodded and he brought his left hand up, displaying the dried blood and the absence of the wound on the arm, to crack his right knuckles. Shima turned back to the Paths and Konan and frowned. "What a disgusting act, using the dead."**

 **"Oh, you feel that too, eh?" The old man, Pa, asked with a glare locked on the Paths. "Abominations, all of them defy the Natural Order. I know one was once your student, Jiraiya, but they must be destroyed."**

"I don't know which to kill with fire." Coco freely confessed, getting some looks. "What? They're all freaks by this point. Seriously, triple heads and using cadavers? Coin toss."

 **"Oh, I know, Pa." Jiraiya agreed as he cracked his left knuckles and narrowed his eyes. "Just keep me at my A-Game and this should be over quickly."**

 **"Humph, maybe then we'll get to see little Naruto again. It's been so long since he's been invited to the Mountain." Shima said with a pointed look from the corner of her eye. Jiraiya glanced at her and smirked.**

 **"Kid's been busy. He's not like Minato and I, having been offered after we were official Huntsmen, and needs time to think it over," he said.**

"If he gets triple heads, I'm putting my foot down." Yang frowned.

"Don't you mean your sagging boobs?"

Yang looked at Weiss in horror, than her bust, "They're _what_?!"

"She's joking, Yang." Blake assured her.

"So they're not sagging?"

"No."

"Phew."

 **"Move!" Pa barked and Jiraiya obeyed, jumping back into the darkness as a massive blade flew from behind the Asura Path and stabbed the ground where Jiraiya once stood.**

 **"So, this is your true power, Master? The power of the Toad Sage?" Pein asked, using the Deva Path as his speaker. Jiraiya cracked a grin.**

 **"Kid, you ain't seen nothin' yet." Jiraiya clapped his hands together and Pein's narrowed eyes were drawn to them. Pein saw energy build up within Jiraiya's grasp, but he couldn't determine what the purpose was. To add to the mild confusion was Jiraiya's next request. "Ma, Pa, if you'd please play my favorite tune?"**

 **The two elderly heads reared back and their nostrils expanded as they sucked in air. Pein watched impassively as the Preta Path moved to stand in front of the group. The two elders flicked their heads forward and opened their mouths, and from their throats came a powerful wave of pure sound.**

"Wow, talk about making your own jam!" Yang yelled over the noise.

Blake covered her ears, Velvet too.

"I think my brain is turning into jam!" Jaune shouted.

"I love jam on my waffles~!" Nora shouted back at him. "Good thinking!"

 **The Paths' eyes widened as they were caught off guard by the attack and were sent flying off of their feet into the ceiling. The Asura Path was quick enough to grab onto Konan and wrap around her as its back hardened into steel. The concussive force of the attack made the Paths burst from the ground like a geyser, all save for the Path that started the fight, who was pinned to the ground by a thrown knife.**

 **"Pein, I have a bone to pick with your Grimm Path." Jiraiya growled as he threw his clapped hands out and shards of Dust of varying types flew forward. The Grimm Path shielded its face as the crystalized, weaponized, elements impacted with its body. Water doused the Path's body and wind ripped away the cloak over the Path's form. Then lightning charred most of the Grimm's exposed skin and frost chipped away what remained.**

"…Whoa, could you…" Ruby trailed off to Weiss.

Her partner huffed. "O-Of course I could! Such a move is simple."

"Cool."

Blake and Yang just snorted at Weiss' haughtiness.

It was adorable.

 **"He should dress in layers. It's dangerous to wear so little in this kind of weather." Jiraiya grinned as the remains of the corpse fell forward, the rain from above pouring down onto its body. The grin left his face as a massive white mouth emerged from beneath its body. A gruesomely grinning head followed, swallowing the body whole only to then spew the corpse back out like it was a loogie. The head sank back into the ground as if it'd never popped up in the first place.**

"Again, where is the fire to burn things like this?" Coco asked.

"Make it go away!" Ruby whined with fright.

 **"I've seen a lot of things in my life, but nothing will ever match up to how disturbing that was," Jiraiya said. Fukasaku and Shima nodded, both just as disgusted and shocked as the Toad Sage was.**

 **"Naraka's Key." The three heads looked up to see the Paths of Pein standing around the hole they'd been sent through. The Naraka Path jumped up to stand beside the Deva Path, who stared with narrowed eyes at the three-headed form of his master. "You know, Master, I didn't think it was possible."**

"That you could get any creepier? No, didn't think so." Velvet deadpanned.

"So, did that blue lady get spit out too?" Ruby asked.

"I guess so."

"Ew."

 **"What?" Jiraiya asked curiously. With a face that was deader than dead itself, Pein managed to catch the three completely off guard.**

 **"I didn't think you could become uglier."**

 **"...Oh, ho, ho! He got you good there, Jiraiya-boy." Fukasaku chuckled and Shima cackled. Jiraiya's teeth ground together until finally he grabbed his head and released a scream of outrage.**

 **"This is why I absolutely despise using Sage Mode in its entirety!" Jiraiya cried out in anguish. "I scare away all the cuties whenever I use this!"**

"Yeah, you just bring the village mob."

"Coco," Velvet glanced at her. "Do we need to talk?"

"Just hate horror stories okay? Don't you judge me, scaredy rabbit."

Velvet's ears flopped at that as she sent her leader a mild glare.

 **"Not to mention you still need our compliance to help you sustain it for long." Shima added softly, which only sent Fukasaku into a fresh bout of laughter and made Jiraiya crumple to the ground in shame.**

 **"Let's try and not tell my former pupil-turned-enemy that tidbit, shall we!?" Jiraiya hissed as he shot back to his feet. Shima gave her best shoulder less shrug.**

 **"It's not my fault that it's true."**

 **"Oh, ho. Ho. Hoo, boy, I needed that," Fukasaku said once he'd calmed down. He looked up at the awaiting forms of Pein and hummed in thought. "Odd that he's giving us time to do such banter. In fact, only person I could remember who did that willingly was Kushina."**

 **"Indeed." Jiraiya cracked a smile. "She never did manage to beat me in a straight up fight, either."**

 **"Beat you enough times after you peeked on her.**

"Serves him right!" Yang said, getting a raised brow from Weiss. "What? He's cool and all, but you don't peek on my deceased to-be mother-in-law."

"Wow, jumping the gun?" Blake teased with a quirked lip.

"Nah, bae is my bae." Yang shrugged with a knowing grin. "Destiny and all that jazz."

 **And then there was that time Minato used that egg beater-"**

"Now I am feeling squeamish." Jaune muttered.

Ren, Yatsuhashi, and Fox nodded in agreement.

 **"Okay! Let's focus on the problem at hand, shall we!?" Jiraiya cut Fukasaku off quickly while he clenched his hands into tight fists. "Ma, give us some cover so we can get out of the hole."**

 **"Fine." Shima huffed and closed her mouth. Her eyes followed suit and a small glow started to form in her cheeks. Shima snapped her eyes opened just as her cheeks bulged outward. A fine stream of some sort of smog escaped her mouth and the Paths had to back away so that their vision wouldn't be impaired. The opening allowed Jiraiya to jump out of the hole and land behind the bodies in use of his former student atop a small building.**

 **"Not bad so far, Pein, but let's see how you handle this." Jiraiya muttered to himself as he brought his hands together again. The Toad Sage pulled on the small hold he had over Remnant's energy and gathered it between his hands. He focused on the energy, picked apart aspects of it that he discarded and released back into the world. What he was left with, he converted into crystalized form. Imbued with his desire to cleanse the world of the abominations that were Pein's Paths, Jiraiya parted his hands to reveal two small Fire Dust crystals in his palms.**

"…Haxs, haxs!" Weiss called foul. "You cannot, just no, no!"

"Ninja."

"Blake I will kill you if you dare-!"

"Magic."

Weiss tackled Blake in a fit of rage, a dust cloud picking up as they fought.

"Whoa! Cat fight!" Yang whistled.

"Not funny!" Blake cried from the cloud.

 **"While I am impressed that you can craft Dust from nothing, I must remind you Master, that you face a God. Your defeat is imminent," Pein said through Deva's mouth as it stared at Jiraiya impassively. The Toad Sage merely cracked a small grin.**

"You know, he keeps saying that." Pyrrha frowned. "I think he needs to keep saying it to feel some sense of self-importance. As if he needs people to revere him. If he wasn't so villainous, I'd pity him."

"Whoa, character dissection also in your skill set?" Coco asked the redhead.

"No, but it's just a simple observation."

"…That wasn't simple." Coco muttered as she lifted her legs to avoid Weiss and Blake's brawl.

 **"Yeah, maybe it is. Maybe today is the day I die, maybe today is the day you die, maybe today is the day both of us die, but in any case, it doesn't matter to me what you say the outcome of this fight will be," Jiraiya said, his grin still in place. He clenched his hands into fists, and the crystals in his palms exploded, covering his fists in fire. As he leapt at his deceased student's form with a fist cocked back, Jiraiya proclaimed, "Because I'm going to give it my all, so get ready to feel** _ **my**_ **pain in wrath's form!"**

 **Milliseconds before his fist could connect with the Deva Path's face, the Preta Path appeared between the two with an arm brought up. Jiraiya's fist met the cloth and stopped. There was a loud snap as a bone broke, but the real twist was when the fire around Jiraiya's fists dwindled away and reappeared around the fists of the Preta Path.**

 **"It absorbed the Dust!" Fukasaku cried out in shock.**

"Stupid broken garbage! Who wrote this nonsense?!"

"Ninja magic!"

"Die!" Weiss roared.

Yang looked down at them. "Could you two be more mature? Seriously, some of us are trying to enjoy a show here."

Blake and Weiss stopped momentarily to glare at her. She was accusing them of being immature?!

What a joke.

Weiss looked down into Blake's eyes. "Truce?"

"…For now."

"Fair enough."

 **Jiraiya's eyes merely narrowed in thought and he quickly kicked away before the Preta Path could grab hold of him. He landed in the mud on his feet and slid back, dropping to a knee to stop his momentum.**

 _ **So, the Preta Path does absorb energy and it has to use it immediately. Otherwise there's a chance for overconsumption. Damn, hate to think what would happen if it got ahold of my Sage Aura.**_ **Jiraiya mused. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Shima's cry.**

 **"Stop staring and move, you fool!"**

 **Jiraiya leapt up to avoid the massive shuriken that passed by where his hips previously were. He landed atop the short roof once more and sent a wary look in the Grimm Path's direction.**

 **"It can summon more than just Grimm," he said aloud as he recalled the Path bringing the other five forms forward. Jiraiya grimaced.** _ **Dammit, this is turning out to appear worse and worse with each passing minute.**_

 **"Eh? It can summon** _ **Grimm**_ **?" Shima asked. Jiraiya nodded.**

 **"Yes. The Paths, as Pein calls them, are based off of the Trials of Samsara," he said.**

"That we don't know." Nora brought up.

Blake, who had returned to her seat with ruffled hair, stroked her chin. "Maybe I could find something. It sounds interesting."

"And boring." Nora added.

"No, not really."

 **This time Fukasaku gave him a look.**

 **"As in the Story of the Sage?" Fukasaku asked, a look of severe unease on his face. Again, Jiraiya nodded. Fukasaku turned to level the Paths with a wary grimace. "That is important information, Jiraiya. If what you say is true, then we must ensure it gets back to our allies."**

 **"Yes. Yes we do." Jiraiya agreed. He narrowed his eyes and crouched down. "So to do that, I'm going to have to show him exactly** _ **why**_ **I'm called the** _ **Toad**_ **Sage."**

 **"Jiraiya, you aren't skilled enough to withstand that," Fukasaku said firmly. "Our Sage Merge can only last so long and if you remain in** _ **that**_ **-!"**

"He's going to ascend, beyond his limits." Yang said in a mystified tone.

Nora played along. "To go where no pervert has gone before."

"Pervy god mode." Blake clenched her fist.

"…You are all stupid." Weiss deadpanned.

Yang snorted. "You just lack imagination."

 **"I know, Pa." Jiraiya interrupted as he kicked his geta sandals off of his feet and let them descend to the ground. The Paths watched him curiously as he crouched down. "But I am The Gallant Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Myōboku, and it is my duty to my clan, to my home, to my** _ **planet**_ **to put a stop to this enemy of Nature."**

"Wouldn't we be 'enemies' of nature?" Pyrrha tapped her chin. "With how we use it so selfishly to further our own survival?"

"Yeah, but, that's how we live." Jaune told her.

"And perhaps it is just nature fighting back."

"…You are way too into this." Jaune noted to his partner.

Pyrrha looked sheepish. "It's just a rather interesting topic."

 **Jiraiya put either hand on the ground in front of him while he rested on the balls of his feet. His teeth gritted and his enlarged nose flared. His 'tears of blood' spread further and his eyes shrank, until a good portion of his face was covered by the red markings and his eyes were no bigger than a marble. His hands and feet grew larger and more toad-like. The guards wrapped around his wrists and arms snapped off as warts sprouted along his skin.**

 **"Remnant's Rage flows through me, the Sage of Myōboku, as I stare upon those** _ **things**_ **! The world cries out in horror, in anger, in** _ **fury**_ **the longer that I allow your tainted ways to spread across the land!" Jiraiya's voice deepened and he crouched further than humanly possible. Shima and Fukasaku's heads retracted to rest beside Jiraiya's head and Jiraiya's teeth sharpened. Jiraiya's hair grew longer and a short beard sprouted along his jaw. "Beware,** _ **abomination**_ **, my wrath is just! My mind is clear! With this I proclaim your end as near!"**

"To fight a monster, you have to be a monster as well." Blake solemnly said.

"I don't think so." Ruby muttered with disagreement as she watched how creepy Jiraiya looked.

Yang [pointed at the screen. "Naruto better not look like that if he does this."

 **"...Always one for theatrics, Master. Very well, I will indulge you." The Deva Path stepped forward and held his arms out. "Leap into God's arms, Master. You are strong, forgo this foolish fight and join me. I will abolish you of your sins and together we will save this world."**

 **"Mock me if you must,** _ **Pein**_ **, but know that I will weep for your death only once I've finished cleansing this land of your poison!" Jiraiya sneered before he lunged forward. "Here I come, Nagato! Give it your all!"**

 **"Very well, Master." The Deva Path remained in place while the Asura Path leapt forward and its arms shifted into two gruesomely large blades.**

 _ **Now, let's see how you fair against Minato's signature technique!**_ **The sage thought. In Jiraiya's left hand, a massive sphere of Aura formed. It easily matched the size of a small car and swirled violently enough to make noise that would make Faunus cringe.**

The Faunus in the room winced a little.

"Nails on a chalk broad." Blake frowned.

Yang looked at her teasingly. "Have you tested that?"

"…I don't want to ruin my manicure."

 **The Asura Path's blades met Jiraiya's Aura attack and, while rearing back only slightly, Jiraiya grit his teeth while he forced more Aura into his attack.**

 **"Oh no you don't..." He growled at the grinning Asura Path. "You're not getting out of this** _ **that**_ **easily! You will fall at my** _ **Rasengan**_ **!"**

 **With the announcement of the attack's name cried out, Jiraiya thrust his left arm forward. The Asura Path's blades cracked before they were ground away into nothing. A fate that soon befell the rest of the now wide-eyed Asura Path. Jiraiya cracked a small smirk and the elders gained grins of vicious glee. The Rasengan powered on strong as Jiraiya approached the Deva Path.**

 **"You overestimate yourself, Master Jiraiya," Konan said from Jiraiya's left, intruding on the high of their effortless defeat of the Asura Path. Jiraiya almost managed to avoid the swipe that robbed him of his entire arm. With a snarl and grimace, Jiraiya corrected his descent midair and landed with a ground-shaking boom.**

"Cheater!" Ruby cried out. "Come on, he was doing something epic!"

"That life, Ruby." Weiss told her.

"Still, he's already outnumbered. That's just cheap."

 **"Jiraiya-boy, your arm!" Shima exclaimed. From the bottom of the shoulder joint down was nothing more than a bloody mess, the seemingly clean cut was actually minutely jagged. Frankly, it hurt a lot, but Jiraiya wasn't done yet, so he wouldn't dwell on it.**

"Talk about disarmed."

"Yang!" Everyone complained.

 **"No time to worry about it, Ma!" Jiraiya snapped as his right arm grabbed onto the bloody stump that remained of his left. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the approaching Paths. "Frog Song! Now!"**

 **"But-!"**

 **"Do it, Shima!" Fukasaku barked. The two turned their attention forward and took deep breaths before their mouths opened again. Instead of launching the approaching threat away, however, all life caught in the sonic attack stopped, paused and suspended where they were.**

 _ **The Frog Song, the Toad Elders' duet, The Wandering Lovers' Bellows, it has many names, but one use. That use is paralyzing the bodies and minds of anything within fifty miles giving me time to set up this.**_ **Jiraiya thought as he scribbled hastily onto the ground with his bloodied hand. Each of his elongated fingers drew a separate shape before another spiral leaf was finally carved into the ground around them.** _ **Now! The Hidden Art of the Toad Clan's deadliest technique!**_

"Super special awesome powers go!" Ruby punched the air. "Ignite justice!"

"Too much Saturday morning cartoons." Yang shoved Ruby.

"There's no such thing!"

"I beg to differ." Weiss told her.

"You just hate the costumes." Ruby snorted.

True, they were rather tacky. Weiss could concede to that.

 **"Reflect on your actions within the Stomach of the Ancient!" Jiraiya cried out as he slammed his hand onto the shape's center. The ground shook and the elders stopped singing, panting heavily from exhaustion. The Paths of Pein and Konan that were suspended in the air dropped to the ground, landing on their feet at the last second. Before any of the Paths could speak for Pein, the ground shifted and shuddered.**

 **"What-?" The question the Deva Path began to ask was interrupted by the sudden emergence of a massive hole, a pit, beneath the Paths' feet. Toad tongues shot out of the pits and wound tightly around the Paths. Konan grew alarmed and ran for the Deva Path, but Jiraiya appeared in front of her within a blink of the eye and delivered a ruthless high roundhouse that more likely than not broke her nose, if not fractured her skull.**

 **The blow sent Konan flying away from the battlefield, bursting through the walls of several houses. Really, if a broken nose and some missing teeth was all she got out of this, she'd be lucky.**

"I think a snapped neck would be more deserving." Blake smiled with satisfaction if it were true.

 **"Stay out of this, Konan," Jiraiya said lowly as he turned and faced the Paths that were slowly being dragged into the pits beneath them. "I've killed you once already, don't think I won't do it again."**

 **"Three...Four...Five. Five? Jiraiya-boy, there were only five!" Fukasaku informed the younger old man just as the last Path disappeared into a pit, which soon closed as did the others.**

Ruby shook her fist in the air. "Curse you math! Why do you betray us?!"

 **"What?! Are you serious?!" The Toad Sage cried out in alarm while he looked around warily. "Dammit! I was hoping to get them all in one go! Did you see which one was missing?"**

 **"The big burly one with the three spikes in each ear."**

 **"Three spikes in...Oh no." Jiraiya's heart sank at these words. With horror etched in his features, Jiraiya slowly turned when he heard the sound of what could only be called a reverse slurp. Three sets of yellow eyes fell upon the rejuvenated and revived Paths of Pein, all lacking any serious injury.**

 **"That's...That's impossible!" Shima murmured worriedly. "The Stomach of the Ancient, it's like a digestive tract of a toad, slow and painful, slowly killing those who are within over a thousand years. No one can escape it!"**

"Well, broken bad guys do." Velvet pouted. She wanted to see them turned into toad droppings.

 **"I thought so as well, Shima," Fukasaku said gravely. "It seems we've met one who can...with the Samsara Eye, no less. The Eye of God..."**

 **"...Feh." Jiraiya spat to the side and glared at the six paths. "They're just some fancy Semblance. Ma, you should head on home and prepare dinner."**

 **"W-What?" Shima looked at Jiraiya in alarm as his features slowly reverted to normal. "Jiraiya, what are you-!"**

 **"I agree with Jiraiya-boy, Shima." Fukasaku glanced around Jiraiya's stern face and smiled at his wife. "Go off and prepare dinner dear, we'll be along shortly."**

 **"Fukasaku, what are you saying!? Jiraiya, be sensi-!" Shima cut herself off when she saw the gleam in Jiraiya's eyes. Swallowing heavily, Shima turned back to glare at the Six Paths. "...I suppose you're right. I'll make stir fry tonight, we'll have a big feast and properly welcome little Naruto into the Clan."**

"If he chooses to be." Yang brought up.

"You know he is." Blake told her.

Yang hung her head. "Man, I'm dating a toad boy…as long as I don't see it. I should be fine."

"How generous." Weiss dryly noted.

"I know, I'm such a sweetheart."

 **"Heh, sure thing, Ma." Jiraiya grinned gently at her. "And afterwards I'll give him the notes I have for the next book."**

 **"You'll do no such thing, it was bad enough you roped Minato-boy into your shenanigans when you were younger!" Shima huffed.**

Yang had a pensive look on her face.

"What are you thinking?" Blake said with worry.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering how…inspiring those notes can be." Yang said with a wide smile.

"You are deplorable." Weiss told her.

"You say deplorable, I say sexy."

Coco chuckled. "She's right on that one."

"Amen, sister!"

 **She tilted her head down and scowled. "You just finish up here and get back to the Mountain. You hear me, Jiraiya-boy?"**

 **"You got it, Ma." Jiraiya nodded. Shima's lip warbled for a brief moment and her eyes squeezed shut before she vanished in the massive plume of smoke that encased Jiraiya's form. Once the smoke cleared, Jiraiya's features had reverted back to normal, but Fukasaku's head remained protruding from his back and his left arm was still missing. The Toad Sage kept a firm stare locked on the six paths as he balled his right hand into a fist.**

 **"Pa...I ever tell you how much I hate lying to women?"**

 **"No, and now isn't the time fer that sort of thing."**

 **"Right." Jiraiya lifted his fist up. "Let's finish this-"**

 **"I couldn't agree more, Master." The Deva Path appeared in front of them as though it materialized from thin air. A twitch of its hand and Jiraiya was sent flying back, breaking through the wall of the industrial water facility and landing hard on the bottom floor.**

 **"...Ugh. Think he broke something that time?"**

"Pride, bones, what's the difference at this point?" Weiss asked.

"Survival." Pyrrha told her.

"Hm."

 **Jiraiya grimaced as he held his side and slowly got back to his feet. The ground around him had broken away, revealing a deep watery underbelly hidden beneath the facility.**

 **"Speak fer yourself, Jiraiya," Fukasaku said with a grimace of his own.**

 **"I was."**

 **"Feh, still the smart-assed punk?"**

 **"Well, you know, Master Sarutobi had a big influence on me," Jiraiya said with a smirk. His smirk fell away as the smoke of his impact cleared. Both Jiraiya and Fukasaku started. Shock, surprise, horror, annoyance, fear, and even the slightest hint of acceptance flashed through their eyes as they stared at the Six Paths that surrounded them.**

"Flee, flee!" Ruby cried out.

"They're surrounded." Blake told her.

"Flee!"

 **"Did you really think I would move so slowly? That I would willingly let you plan?" Pein asked through the six bodies. Obsidian staves slid down from the Paths' cloaks' sleeves into their hands and they narrowed their eyes. "You've lost today, Master Jiraiya, I've outclassed you long before we even crossed paths today. This world will be saved, all will feel pain. Surrender, and it will be quick, out of gratitude for your part in my life."**

 **Jiraiya turned to Fukasaku and their eyes locked. A firm nod was shared between the two before the Toad Sage rose to his feet. A short knife was pulled out of his pouch and held defensively.**

 **"Not until the last breath leaves my body will I surrender."**

"…I think that's about to happen." Nora muttered, getting a nudge from Ren.

"Shh."

"I'm a rambling realist. Sorry."

Ren just retorted with. "At least let's _see_ it."

"Fine."

 **Pein, the Deva Path at least, closed his eyes.**

 **"As you wish."**

 **The Paths moved. Jiraiya threw his blade. Blood was spilt. A body fell.**

 **The knife Jiraiya threw exploded.**

"I want one."

Weiss scoffed. "You couldn't throw a knife to save your life, Ruby."

"But I can shoot it!" Ruby said with a glimmer in her eye.

"…No." Yang told her firmly.

"Drat."

 _ **Heh...bet you didn't see that coming, eh, Nagato?**_ **Jiraiya thought as he fell to his stomach, five staves piercing through his stomach to come out of his back and sides while the sixth was dropped when the explosion destroyed the Preta Path, leaving a larger smoke cloud around him.**

"Oh, this is actually kind of sad…He was awesome." Yang frowned.

Blake patted her shoulder. "It happens all the time with good characters."

"Now bae's going to be all sad, and that ruins our mood, and sex isn't going to be awesome for a while, and…dammit, Jiraiya! How could you do this to us!" Yang cried out.

"It's okay, Yang."

"No, Ruby…it's not."

 **The Paths retreated, watching the cloud of smoke diligently, while Fukasaku emerged from the ground he had merged with a millisecond before Jiraiya took the staves to his gut. The old man had his arm cradling his ribs, a grimace on his face, and fire in his eyes.**

 **"Pa..." Jiraiya choked on the blood that rose out of his mouth. He fumbled around in his left side's pouch with his right hand before he pulled out a Fire Dust crystal. "Mess...Message."**

"But where's the paper?" Nora asked, her brow knitted. "Won't it burn?"

"I don't think he's writing on paper." Ren told her.

 **"Right, make it quick." Fukasaku nodded and pulled up his shirt, revealing his back to the bleeding Toad Sage. Jiraiya crushed the crystal in his hand and used his dwindling Aura to contain the fire above his finger. Through bleary eyes, he burned several numbers into the elder's back, Fukasaku holding his tongue over the pain.**

"That's gross." Nora blanched.

 **The smoke cleared by the time the last number finished.**

 **"...A message...in code..." The Deva Path narrowed its eyes. The Asura Path lifted its arm and shifted it into a cannon form. A massive round, easily the size of a fist, was fired at Fukasaku's head. The elder of Mt. Myōboku turned and gave a nasty glare to the Paths of Pein before he vanished in a plume of smoke. The Asura Path's round splashed into the water beside Jiraiya, whose eyes slowly dulled.**

 _ **So...This is it, huh? This is death? The last...great adventure...**_ **Jiraiya thought as the world darkened around him.** _ **I guess...I guess it's not so bad. I lived a long fulfilling life...Managed to snag the dream girl...**_

 **Tsunade walked down the aisle, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, both approaching him. The image shifted to an angry Tsunade storming out of the house.**

"Not for long…" Ruby muttered, there went that happily ever after.

 _ **Though...that didn't last long. We had some good years I hope.**_ **Jiraiya mused. If he'd been able to, he'd smile at his next thought.** _ **Had at least one good student...**_

 **A grinning Minato looked up at him happily as he managed to iron out the details of his 'perfect' weapon. The young boy suddenly became a man, with a wife laid beside him, both bloodied and dead while protecting a crying babe.**

"Why is it always the hot ones?!" Yang cried to the heavens. "Why do you take the good!"

"And his mother." Blake reminded her.

"And his totally hot mom!"

Blake just groaned, her fingers rubbing her eyes.

 **The baby then grew into a loudmouthed brat that sneered or scowled at him whenever he brought up the prospect of doing something 'fun' instead of boring old training. Then that brat became a bigger brat, who was a bit more tolerable, a bit stronger, and covered in the guts of a Graboid.**

"That was so not fun to see." Yang grimaced as she calmed down from her previous comment.

 _ **Wait...Make that two students.**_ **Jiraiya thought fondly.**

 **"** _ **You'd better believe it! Naruto Uzumaki is the best damn prankster in all of Vacuo and if you do me wrong, I'll find you and embarrass the flying fuck out of you!"**_

 _ **Best in Vacuo, huh? Might want to set your goal a little higher...**_ **Jiraiya thought. Three years spent on the road, exchanging barbs and insults in playful manner. Attending small festivals around the world, training in extreme climates, facing off against various Grimm, these were just some of the moments Jiraiya recalled.**

 _ **Naruto,**_ **Jiraiya thought as a smile naturally spread across his face.** _ **I leave this world...in your faithful hands...**_

"I truly think death has gotten to him if he's leaving it in a numbskull's hands." Weiss scoffed.

"Meh, crazy people rule the world!" Yang smiled broadly.

 **Miles away, within the grounds of a school called Beacon, a whiskered blond suddenly stopped walking. He turned and looked around in confusion. For a moment, it felt as though someone had just grabbed his shoulder.**

"…No, no!" Ruby waved her arms frantically. "I can handle a lot of stuff, freaky eyes, bringing back the dead, but not ghosts, anything but ghosts!" She wailed in horror.

"Rubes, Shh." Yang chided her. "It's a meaningful moment."

"No!"

 **"What's the hold up, Dead Last?" The dark haired companion of the blond asked. "We're going to be late to class again if you keep zoning out."**

 **"I could've just sworn...Nah, even the Toad wouldn't try a prank** _ **that**_ **lame." The boy snorted and interlaced his hands behind his head. He continued his stride, putting on a cheeky grin while he ignored the strange churning in his gut. "Alright, alright, let's go so you can watch your fetish fuel help Oobleck today."**

"That Googwitch, filling fetishes for years." Coco snickered.

 **"For the last goddamn time, I don't have a Fetish!"**

 **"Sure you don't."**

Yang slumped, "Man, the fallout is going to suck."

"Big time." Blake concurred.

"Hm, I guess he will be missed…seeing as he made the Numbskull suffer."

"Weiss, you are Weiss cold."

"…I'm going to kill you one day."

"Love you too, Weiss." Yang blew her a kiss.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXV: Loss**

Yang flared her nostrils. "This is going to suck."

"I thought Ruby stated the obvious?" Weiss asked her.

"Hey!" Ruby pouted. "I only do that, uh, sometimes."

"More like every day."

 **"Told you we'd make it here on time. Don't you feel silly, Sasuke?" Naruto asked his teammate as they took their standard seats for Oobleck's class.**

 **"...Goodwitch is giving us the evil eye." Sasuke muttered, his head slightly ducked as the guest instructor sent them dark looks for being a minute or so late.**

 **"I think it's mostly for me, so don't worry." Naruto grinned at his friend. "Your fetish fuel won't punish you. Much."**

Coco made a whipping motion, sound effects included.

"I can never understand the appeal to that." Jaune confessed.

Coco gave him a grin. "Well, if you see some of those kinds of vids, you'd get it."

"I have, and still don't."

"…There's something wrong with you." Coco accused.

 **Sasuke replied with a quick and hard jab of his elbow into the snickering blond's side. He then opened his scroll and began to copy down the notes that Oobleck left on the board.**

 **Naruto meanwhile rested his head on his crossed arms. His brows furrowed in thought over the strange chill that struck him on their way to class.**

 _ **Hope it wasn't a g-ghost...**_ **Naruto thought with a small shudder.**

"Still sucks we can't enjoy horror movie nights." Yang pouted. But then gained a smile. "Or maybe we can…or at least, I will."

 **His unease made Sasuke give him an odd look, but otherwise went unnoticed. Giving his brother from another mother a reassuring grin, Naruto pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.**

 **"Now, I'm sure all of you are wondering just why Professor Goodwitch has decided to accompany us today," Oobleck said. He sipped whatever liquid gave him his energy from his cup, either unaware of or pointedly ignoring his assisting teacher's look of mild annoyance at his exaggerated method of drinking, before he continued. "Well, with all of our defenses back up courtesy of our ...guests from Atlas-"**

"He raised a big stink over that, didn't?" Ruby tilted her head in thought.

"Subtly when he could." Weiss agreed.

 **"Oobleck..." Goodwitch gave him a pointed look.**

 **Her tone caused Naruto and Sasuke to share a look with each other. Obviously Oobleck didn't care for the intrusion of another kingdom's forces 'protecting' Vale. They looked down to see Kurama sitting a bit taller in his seat. He undoubtedly picked up on it as well.**

 **"Yes, yes, yes." Oobleck waved Goodwitch off and adjusted his glasses. "As I was saying, since our defenses are back to full strength and you've all had quite the break between classes, I invited Professor Goodwitch to help - how should I put this? Ah, I know. To help ensure that old habits – sleeping in class, skipping frivolously, or even dare I say it causing intrusions – would be kept in check. Professor Ozpin believed it would be a lot of work for just one professor to keep you 'rowdy ruffians' from trying to eat the allotted time with questions that detract from class."**

 _ **...So, they're basically trying to keep all of us in the dark about the search for Roman Torchwick.**_ **Naruto, Sasuke and Kurama thought dryly.**

Ruby raised her fist. "But we have a right to know!"

"Not really, we're kids to them. Remember?" Weiss reminded her.

"Indeed you are." Coco agreed with a nod.

"So are we." Velvet told her team lead.

"Ah! But we get to know just a bit more. So win for us."

Velvet's ears flopped at the childish reason.

 **Not two months have passed since his escape from custody and still no leads – according to Kurama's inside source with the Vale Police Department – have turned up.**

 _ **Though, we've been preoccupied with shenanigans outside of our control,**_ **Naruto thought with a small grin.** _ **Drinking on the Toad's money for once and eluding Yang's Dad for the past few days has made it a bit difficult for me to get the skivvy on those details.**_

 **"So, that said, let's all keep our focus on the subject today, which was what, Ms. Nikos?" Oobleck asked while he looked at the Invincible Girl.**

 **"Expansion of Mistral, Professor."**

 **"Doctor. Now, how many of you know-?" Oobleck cut himself off mid-sentence when the door at the top of the stairs was knocked on. A second later and Professor Ozpin entered. "Ah, Professor Ozpin, what can I do for you?"**

 **"Sorry to intrude, Oobleck, but I need Mr. Uzumaki to please come with me," The unnaturally stony Ozpin said from the door.**

Yang gripped her shorts. "Let's hope they don't rip the Band-Aid off too fast."

"I'm sure the Headmaster will be as smoothing as possible." Pyrrha affirmed.

 **The class turned to look at Naruto almost expectantly. The blond in question blinked while he looked around owlishly.**

 **"...Oh, come on, I've got other things on my mind aside from pranks!" Naruto said with a frown.**

 **The class continued to stare at him.**

 **"...Et tu, Sasuke?" Naruto asked the boy seated on his side. Sasuke shrugged.**

 **"Safe assumption."**

"This just makes it feel cringe worth." Blake closed her eyes. "That joker nature is going to be gone in the next few minutes."

Yang nodded with a miserable look.

 **"Ah, but you know what they say about assuming! It makes an ass out of 'u' and 'me'." Naruto shot back with a grin. Sasuke cracked a small smirk and rolled his eyes.**

 **"Oi,** _ **dumbass**_ **. Quit yer dawdling an' let's go."**

 **Naruto's smile fell at the familiar voice and he turned to see Roshi standing behind Ozpin.**

"Yeah, with him? It's not going to be smoothing at all." Yang told Pyrrha.

Who in turn gave a sheepish look.

That was definitely true.

 **The severe stare sent his way made his blood boil and he pushed back the smarmy retort he wanted so badly to whip out and slap the old fart with.**

 **Naruto could feel Goodwitch's glare piercing the back of his skull, as though daring him to say something.**

 **Needless to say, Naruto was more than willing to obey the headmaster's request, if only to escape Goodwitch's 'gaze of doom'.**

"If it wasn't for the coming situation, I would so agree." Jaune felt for his fellow blond.

 **He rose up from his seat and made his way out the room with puzzlement on his features.**

 **A moment of silence passed, broken only by soft whispers. Sasuke shared quizzical stares with Jaune and Pyrrha, Kurama and Velvet spoke in hushed tones, and Blake and Weiss were debating over whether Naruto had done something again.**

 **Oobleck clapped his hands together. "Yes, yes, it's all very thrilling to see our first-year clown get pulled out of class by the Headmaster, but our attention is on a past that is more than three minutes ago. So, if you'll turn your attention to the entry in your-"**

 **"** _ **I said cut it out!"**_

 **The muffled shout made necks snap as the students whipped around to look at the door behind them. Through the windowpane, a glowing light could be seen.**

"He's going Yang." Ruby grimaced.

"That's not a thing, Ruby. Don't make it a thing."

"…But it already is." Ruby muttered to herself.

 **Other students turned to the door at the back of the classroom as the shouting continued for a good five minutes until it became faint and hard to make out. Then a loud bang rocked the school, and silence ensued.**

"Was that a cannon?!" Nora gaped with eagerness to know.

"No, probably a punch." Ren stated.

"…I still say it was a cannon." Nora huffed.

"Just because you got your hands on the ones at our hold school-"

"I made picture day fun!" Nora blew him a raspberry.

 **Until Goodwitch smacked her crop against Oobleck's desk, making many in the room, especially the Faunus with heightened senses, jump. Pleased that she'd quelled any hushed conversations before they could even begin and had brought attention back to a thankful Oobleck, Professor Goodwitch stepped out to see if anyone had been hurt.**

 _ **The last time an Uzumaki had an emotional episode on campus...**_ **Glynda shivered and rubbed a small, concealed white scar on her arm.** _ **Thankfully, he lacks his mother's chains.**_

"Mom-In-Law to be hit Goodwitch?!" Yang looked stunned. "Man, now I really wish I could meet her!" She cursed.

 **Unfocused blue eyes stared straight ahead and a normally sunny smile had slipped off of an ambling teen's face. The visiting students stepped out of his way as he shuffled across campus, his hands dug deep into his pockets and his head hung. His mind kept replaying the scene that occurred not fifteen minutes ago.**

"Oh, bae my bae. My poor hunky bae." Yang sniffled tearfully.

"I think you're getting too emotionally attached to this, Yang." Pyrrha frowned.

"When you become the love interest, you'll understand, Pyrrha."

"I don't think she will." Weiss told her. "Some of us have more sense than others."

Yang huffed at this. "Sense, sense is an illusion~"

"For the insane, yes."

"…I'mma deck you in the schnozz."

 **"Mr. Uzumaki, I'm sorry to be the one that has to tell you this." Ozpin softly spoke as he stood opposite of Naruto. His eyes were weighted and weary as they looked over the teen before him.**

 **"Tell me what?" Naruto asked. Roshi stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.**

 **"Listen kid, I know we didn't get off on the right foot-"**

 **"That's an understatement." Naruto snorted. Sun's grandfather kicked his ass in less than a second and somehow always knew how to really piss him off.** _ **Must be an old guy thing. The Toad's good at it, too.**_

That earned a collective of winces.

 **"** _ **But**_ **I am –** _ **was**_ **a good friend of your godfather's." Roshi finished softly, ignoring Naruto's interjection. The way he corrected himself made Naruto look at him in confusion.**

 **"Roshi, perhaps-?" Ozpin was silenced by a look the man gave him.**

 **"The best way ta do it is ta just rip the bandage off in one go," Roshi said firmly.**

"Not really." Weiss disagreed amazingly enough.

 **He looked back at Naruto and his hard gaze softened. "Naruto...Jiraiya is gone."**

 **"No, duh...He went back to Vacuo to get his next book published, and probably to goof off and peep around." Naruto snorted and looked at the headmaster. "Prof. O, what's going on?"**

"Oh man, awkwardness, cringe, what else is missing?" Coco asked with a pained look on her face.

"Heartbreak?" Velvet suggested.

"That's the one."

 **"This isn't easy, Mr. Uzumaki, please bear with us." Ozpin said softly, an apologetic look on his face. "Mr. Uzumaki, your godfather...Whatever he told you he was doing in Vacuo wasn't the case-"**

 **"Maybe the peeping part," Roshi said with a hint of a smile cracking through his stern features.**

 **"Lord Jiraiya was looking for the Fourth War's base of operations." Beacon's Headmaster informed the teen.**

 **"Not lookin' for. Found." Mr. Roshi corrected him. He held up the item in his hand and placed it in Naruto's hand. The blond turned it over and his breath hitched.**

 **An old horned silver headband was now in his grasp.**

 **"Wha-what is - Professor wha-?" Naruto looked back at Ozpin, whose eyes had closed. He looked at Roshi, whose face was grim.**

 **"I'm sorry," Roshi said sincerely. He pointed at the headband. "But the Mountain needs a new Sage. Your waiting time is** _ **over**_ **."**

"…He does _not_ get to make that choice." Yang's eyes shifted to red. "Where the hell does he get off?"

"I want to make a witty retort, but I'll stay my tongue." Weiss said, inching away from a possible Yang moment.

 **Naruto looked down at the headband and shoved it back into Roshi's hands.**

 **"That's not funny. This is not fucking funny."**

 **"I'm afraid he's not joking, Mr. Uzumaki-" Ozpin began, reaching out to put a hand on the blond's shoulder. Naruto knocked Ozpin's hand off his shoulder as he backed away from them.**

 **"I said cut it out!"**

"And cue the cannon!"

 **"Mr. Uzumaki, I know this is hard-"**

 **"No...No, he was just going to talk to his publisher! He'll be back in a few weeks to perv and peep and-and..."**

"May he perv among the angels." Yang held a hand over her heart.

"And be smited by god." Blake added.

"Harsh."

 **"-but you to come to terms with the reality of the situation-"**

 **"Stop." Naruto pleaded and covered his ears, his eyes squeezing shut. "Shut up. He was just going to-"**

 **Apparently fed up with Naruto's denial, Roshi grabbed hold of Naruto's collar, stopping his attempt to block out reality. The old Wanderer shoved the taller teen against the wall and glared at him.**

 **"Goddammit, I'm sick 'n tired of seein' you brats today cry over the smallest** _ **shit**_ **!** _ **Your**_ **godfather –** _ **my**_ **friend – is** _ **dead**_ **, boy!" He snarled, smoke pillaring out of his mouth as his aura flared. "He's dead and gone! Accept it** _ **and**_ **the responsibilities that come with it!"**

"Cannon?"

"Nora!" Everyone complained.

 **Pushed at his emotional limit for the day, something within Naruto snapped. His body began to lightly glow and he grabbed the older man's arms. His whisker scars appeared thicker and his eyes shone brightly as he glared right back at Roshi.**

 **"Let. Go."**

 **"I'll let go when you grow up!" Roshi barked as his body began to turn red.**

 **"Mr. Wukong, Mr. Uzumaki, you both need to calm down," Ozpin said as the boy's aura flared with his growing distress. He gripped his cane tightly and rested his thumb over a concealed button.**

 **"No! No calmin' down! Far as I'm concerned, the Mountain's too good for this selfish brat!" Roshi snapped. He curled his lip into a sneer. "Why Jiraiya thought you'd be a good Sage I'll never know."**

"Oh man." Ruby winced, and covered her ears. "Cannon."

"Yes!" Nora pumped her fist.

 **"Shut. Up." Naruto growled.**

 **"Dumbass always thought with his heart more than his head, but at least** _ **he**_ **knew when to man up and take charge!"**

 **"Let. Me. Go."**

 **"Fucker must've been a terrible teacher if you never got that lesson, you sniveling, self-centered, waste of-"**

 **Naruto let out what could only be called the cross of an anguished yell and an infuriated scream. Ozpin was barreled out of the way, knocked halfway down the hall, while Roshi found himself slammed through not just one, but** _ **three**_ **of the building's classrooms.**

"…Fist cannon." Nora told Ren, her voice stern.

"Fine." He just rolled his eyes.

"He hit the headmaster." Blake rubbed her eyes.

"Yay?"

"Not yay!" Weiss chided Yang.

"Nope. Calling that a yay. Besides, he was collateral." Yang smiled at the dumb look on Roshi's face.

 **To the faculty's relief, they'd find later that no one was using the classrooms and they were scheduled for renovation anyway.**

 **When the dust settled, Naruto had Roshi imbedded in the grounds outside the building. The older man was glaring up at him. Naruto's nostrils flared and his right fist shot out like a rocket, hitting the old Faunus right in the schnoz.**

"It's scary how alike you are." Weiss muttered.

Yang just cheekily grinned, offering the a V for victory sign.

 **Roshi's head flopped back and his semblance cut out instantly. Naruto panted heavily and began to shamble off, not caring of the wide eyes staring at him.**

 **"He was...going to get his book published..." Naruto mumbled as he rested against the nearest tree. His hand covered his face and his eyes squeezed shut. A faint but echoing roar made his eyes crack open and Naruto quickly pulled himself together. The last thing he needed or wanted was to be bothered by anyone right now.**

 **What better way to relieve some stress than to kill some soulless creatures?**

"Nothing more therapeutic." Ruby chirped.

 **"Have you found anything yet?" Ozpin asked. He sent a mild look of annoyance to his longtime friend as she checked his right arm, which he landed on quite roughly, in the Uzumaki's 'fit'. He was back in his office and Roshi was 'escorted' to the medical building by a very irate Tsunade Senju.**

 **Honestly, Ozpin believed he got off lightly.**

 **"** _ **You mean aside from Grimm remains strewn around in a way that would make even the most iron-stomached butchers of Remnant green in the face? Then no, nothing much.**_ **" Asuma replied through the Scroll. The man was more than displeased with how Ozpin chose to handle the situation. To say any member of Team KAAG was annoyed would be an understatement. It was agreed that any news of this sort, no matter how inane it may seem, would be delivered by one of them.**

"He was doing his job." Pyrrha frowned.

"Yeah, but things like that? Way better to come from their own." Blake retorted.

 **'** _ **Members of the Uzumaki are like their name suggests. They've whirlpools of emotions just waiting to be unleashed. Merciless and cruel, and cannot be ridden out or controlled, and God help whoever or whatever pisses them off to that point.'**_ **Hiruzen Sarutobi had commented when he was assisting with the cleanup that came after Naruto's mother had learned her family, being a wandering clan of nomads, were killed in a Grimm attack.**

"Wow, that's rough." Nora frowned, nibbling a pretzel.

"This is why people settle, not wander." Jaune added.

 **Arguably, the event that occurred today was considered 'tame' by Uzumaki standards. It even could've been prevented if Ozpin had handled it better.**

 **The headmaster sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. "Please keep me informed."**

 **"** _ **You mean just like how you informed us that one of our own died? Oh yeah. I'll be**_ **sure** _ **to do that.**_ **" Asuma snorted before the call ended.**

"And Kingdom tension raised to the max." Coco chirped, "Just what we need now."

 **Goodwitch frowned at the scroll.**

 **"That was uncalled for." She murmured.**

"Not really." Blake snorted.

 **"Was it, though?" Ozpin asked. He lifted his hand out of his face and grabbed his cane to rise to his feet. "We need to contact James and tell him to stay out of it, his methods would only make it worse-"**

 **"** _ **I**_ **will tell General Ironwood to keep his patrols out of the Emerald Forest." Goodwitch interjected firmly as she pushed Ozpin back down into his seat. "You will rest and wait for Team KAAG to report in."**

 **Ozpin didn't bother arguing and let Glynda leave as he sat down without another word. He was too tired. Jiraiya was a friend, a confident and a damn fine huntsman. His experience in skirmishes against Men, Faunus and Grimm alike made him an expert in frontline combat. His efforts in assisting Faunus' during their revolution, though little as it was in the grand scheme of things, marked him as a big name.**

Blake gave a sad smile, wishing someone like that was around for her race nowadays.

 **Then there were his novels.**

"Ugh, and I am reminded of this disgusting thought." Weiss winkled her nose.

Her opinion of Ozpin just took a slight dive. Again.

 **A part of Ozpin could lie and say he would quickly get over the death of his favorite novelist, but Ozpin did his best not to lie. Stretch the truth here and there, but never again would he lie. Jiraiya's work held many underlying themes beneath smut and more smut – granted that was a good part of why so many read the books – and he'd been subliminally planting hidden messages that promoted peace and equality throughout his career.**

"Brainwashing perverts…to do good…" Weiss felt her words fail her as she tried to process this information.

 **Jiraiya would claim he wasn't a politician and would even go so far as to say he'd be terrible on any of the councils, but Ozpin knew that had Jiraiya ever gotten a seat, had he ever really** _ **wanted**_ **to change things, he could. Jiraiya could even single-handedly destroy the Kingdom's current governments and build up his own if he so wished.**

"And he's gone crazy." Weiss confirmed.

"Or he's right."

Weiss gave Blake a look of horror.

How could she even suggest such a thing?!

 _ **A goof and pervert, beg pardon,**_ **super** _ **pervert you might have been, but no one was as politically savvy and underhanded when it came to that game as you, Jiraiya,**_ **Ozpin thought with a sad smile.**

 **"Thinking of me? Oh, Ozpin, I'm flattered."**

 **Ozpin's eyes snapped open and he glanced into the shadows, where his guest leaned against the wall.**

 **"...I take it you've heard, then?" He asked.**

 **"Heard? Whatever could you be talking about?" The guest rubbed his chin before he snapped his fingers. "Ah, could it be you're speaking of the death of The Toad Sage?"**

"Whoa, new guy." Ruby whistled.

 **"You know damn well what I mean,** _ **Fire Shadow**_ **." Ozpin spat in annoyance. "I'm too tired to deal with your games, anymore."**

 **"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Fire Shadow drawled. He stepped forward into the light, revealing himself to be a man with a thick bandanna wrapped around the left side of his face. The right side, heavily scarred and warped, was left uncovered, while the blood red pupils within black eyes stared intently at the headmaster. Spiky black hair sprouted from his head, untamed and wild. He was dressed much like Team KAAG, in navy and olive uniform, and strapped to his back was a sickle that looked old and rusted. Around his left arm was a black band with a crude spiral leaf painted into it.**

"Man, ninja guys get all the badass entrances."

"Not a ninja." Weiss refuted on instinct.

Yang and Blake shared a smile.

Oh, the games to be had in the near future.

"Shh, I want to know who this guy is. He's super shady!" Ruby chided her team. Honestly, such children they were.

 **"We gave you a chance to show that you could handle the problem on your own. And what did you do? You let that old fool talk you into letting him come with you," Fire Shadow said with a disapproving frown on his face. He stepped forward and pulled a red Scroll from his pocket, one that bore the insignia etched into the band on his arm. "He wants to speak with you directly."**

 **"...Doesn't this risk our alliance-?"**

 **"Our alliance was compromised as soon as you let that** _ **thief**_ **into the tower." The half-masked man snapped. He pushed the Scroll forward. "I'm in no mood for games, Ozpin. Talk to him.** _ **Now**_ **."**

 **Ozpin grimaced and took the Scroll, opening it and pressing the solitary spiral button that appeared on the screen. A moment passed before a holographic image sprouted up. The head of a white haired man with half of his lower face appeared on screen. His left eye had a large scar from the top of his eyebrow to the middle of his cheek. Both of his eyes were dark, though the left seemed darker than the right, and both were narrowed in anger.**

"And another person of mystery!" Ruby jabbed her finger at the screen. "I demand names!"

 **"** _ **Do you know what you've done?**_ **"**

 **"It was a mistake-" Ozpin began, only to be cut off.**

 **"** _ **No, no-no-no. A**_ **mistake** _ **, Ozpin, is knocking a glass of water off of the counter. A**_ **mistake** _ **is letting**_ **James Ironwood** _ **defend another kingdom that he is not from. A**_ **mistake** _ **is butt dialing your one night stand from three weeks ago.**_ **" The holographic head's eyes narrowed further.**

"One of those things don't belong with the others." Velvet looked mildly amused.

Blake smirked. "They must think it's a simple mistake."

Weiss felt a jab at her Kingdom's pride, but react to the comments.

Blake was always good at subtle insults.

 **"** _ **What you did, Ozpin, was fuck up royally. Congratulations. You just singlehandedly broke all of Jiraiya's hard work.**_ **"**

 **"Now wait just a minute!" Ozpin frowned. "I have not broken any of Jiraiya's work! We are still allied with the Wanderers, are we not? I thought-?"**

 **"** _ **What you**_ **think** _ **is irrelevant, Ozpin. The fact is, we are**_ **blinded** _ **without our spymasters!**_ **" The masked man spat out. Ozpin winced and looked away from the glare leveled on him. "** _ **The Queen still has pawns, Ozpin, and despite what control or eyes you think you have on them, they're still in play on**_ **your** _ **side of the board. She took**_ **our** _ **advancing rook and now has**_ **us** _ **in check.**_ **Your** _ **next move determines whether or not it's checkmate for not just our Brotherhood, but all of Remnant as a whole.**_

"So much chess, why do older people compare current events with chess?" Ruby rubbed her head. She never liked chess.

"Because it is a game of culture and sophistication."

"So you can play too?"

"To a degree."

Blake smirked. "She sucks at it."

"Shut up you!" Weiss fumed.

 _ **Think that over, while**_ **my** _ **people try to fix**_ **your** _ **'mistakes'. Fire Shadow, come home. Nightingale has another mission for you.**_ **"**

 **"You got it, Boss." Fire Shadow nodded. The holographic head flickered out of sight and the Scroll shut down. A massive portal appeared behind Fire Shadow and he grabbed the scroll from the desk. Fire Shadow flashed Ozpin a small smile. "Word of advice, Ozpin. Let the Brotherhood's Brains over in Kon handle the strategies from now on. You run your little school and do what you can to keep the Heartless Metal Man in line. He may be a General, but he's** _ **not**_ **the Headmaster, dear Headmaster."**

 **"Just go." Ozpin muttered, his head still hung.**

 **"Ooh, guess The Lightning Fang's bite left a mark. Good. That's good."**

"Wait, isn't that Kakashi?" Yang paused with thought.

"Oh." The others said, looking mildly surprised.

This just got more interesting.

 **Fire Shadow chuckled and tossed the scroll up and down in his hand as he walked into the portal behind him. He shared some amused words of farewell that made Ozpin clench his hands around his staff.**

 **"Good luck, Ozzy. You're going to need it."**

 **As soon as classes for the day were cancelled due to some random and rather bizarre seismic activity, Teams RWBY and JNPR were pulled aside by Kurama and Sasuke. They mentioned that Ozpin had snatched Naruto up before the first tremor shook the school's grounds. Since then there had been three more, and both of the Kon natives were pretty sure it wasn't Remnant's tectonic plates to blame.**

"He's rocking my world." Yang grinned at the joke.

"Ugh." "Lame. "Boo!"

 **At lunch, Yang ran into Kurenai and Asuma and asked them if they'd seen her missing blond. Asuma brushed her off and stormed away.**

"Rude." Yang frowned.

 **As he passed, Yang heard him grumble something about not having enough cigarettes for the stress the boys put him through and wishing he wasn't stuck with Kakashi's baggage. Kurenai explained that Naruto reacted poorly to some news that Professor Ozpin gave him. When asked what the news was, Kurenai said she wasn't at liberty to say, only that it was a personal issue.**

"We're dating! So, it's kinda our thing to know each other's stuff." The blonde bombshell refuted stubbornly.

 **"Naruto?" Yang called as she walked into the lecture room where she and Blake had their small spat earlier in the year. She and Naruto had been going back to the classroom whenever they wanted to play hooky, so it sort of became their spot.**

"To do…stuff." Yang smiled.

"Ew…" Ruby blanched, sticking her tongue out.

 **It was honestly the last place she'd thought to look, hell she even checked the library before she came here.**

That's a scary thought." Ren stated, getting a few murmurs of agreement.

 **Finally, lilac eyes landed on the blond teen. He was seated at the front of the room with his back against the teacher's desk. He had his left arm draped over one knee that was pulled up to his chest, while his right rested at his side, gently clasped around two small glints bound by a loose cord, and both sets of knuckles were red with dried blood. His head was hung and his hair obscured his eyes from view. Scattered around the ruffled blond were a few freshly cooked instant meal cups. One was knocked over entirely and another was barely even touched.**

"That's not good." Nora narrowed her eyes. "He's not even eating the ramen."

"Get to the shelters." Jaune declared with a sense of seriousness.

 _ **Not good.**_ **Yang thought as she bit on her lip and pulled her scroll out. She sent the group conversation a message telling that she'd found Naruto and then pocketed the device. When she was close enough, Yang took a seat at his side and sat there quietly, waiting. He made no sign of being aware of her presence. Not even a sound of greeting.**

 _ **Very, very not good.**_

 **"Naruto...what happened? Why'd Professor Ozpin call you out of class today?" Yang ventured.**

 **"...Jiraiya's dead."**

Yang felt a twinge in her heart for her other. This was going to suck big time.

 _ **Oh god.**_ **Yang thought when Naruto's shoulders tensed.**

 **"They...The Fourth War..."**

 **Yang put her hand in the one that rested on his knee, grasping it tightly and pulling it away to let her have a better look at his eyes. She looked at him in concern and worry written on her features. Naruto's grip tightened around hers.**

 **"He was the only** _ **real**_ **family I had left, y'know? Only connection I had to my parents..." Naruto fiddled with the items in his right hand. A quick look revealed the items were his parents' rings. "He gave me these...said that they were the only thing requested removed from their bodies in their will. I...I don't even know what kind of weapons they used, how they fought...I can only imagine through stories. Old Toad told me friends removed any footage of them from the Net and they'd created a lot of enemies...All I had were stories. His stories."**

"That's heartbreaking." Ruby muttered as Yang heart went out for the guy. Knowing herself, her other felt like a train was hitting her.

 **Naruto tightened his grip around the rings.**

 **"He was the only one that talked about them..."**

 **"Are you – What am I thinking, of course you're not." Yang interrupted herself before she asked a very insensitive and stupid question. She leaned forward, trying to get a look past the short curtain of blond that his eyes hid behind. "Naruto, c'mon. Talk to me, let me help."**

"Yang's good with emotional support." Ruby nodded, Naruto should let her help.

"Good and weird times with you." Yang nodded in remembrance.

 **"...Why didn't he ask to go? I could've helped him...I could've...right?" Naruto's hand dropped from his face and he looked up at the ceiling.**

"Uh, no bae, no." Yang shook her head. "Then you might have died and I'd go crazy nutso over you. And well, things wouldn't be pretty."

"Understatement." Blake snorted. She had yet to see Yang truly snap over something other than her hair, so it'd be pretty scary to see what she did to be honest.

 **Two identical rivers of tears poured from his normally bright, now severely dark blue eyes, over his whisker marks and down to his jaw.**

 **"Naruto..." She gently pulled him into a hug, his head on her shoulder while his arms wrapped loosely around her sides.**

 **"Stupid old Toad..." Naruto muttered as his eyes squeezed shut. "Dumb perverted asshole..."**

 **Tears fell silently and Yang pressed her head against his. Being someone that also bore her emotions to the world, she cried with him, for him, for his loss, for his pain. Her scroll buzzed in her pocket, but Yang ignored it as Naruto began to break down into sobs and clung to her like a lifeline. She would tell everyone he was fine in a few minutes, but for now Yang would shoulder his pain and help him take the first step through the loss of a family member.**

Yang sighed, looking sullen. It was like dealing with Summer all over again. That was a tough loss on her family, Ruby still too young, her dad too wrecked by grief, and herself feeling unsure what to do other than cry herself.

 **Practically everyone knows that it's heartbreaking to see someone you care for look so utterly depressed, but that isn't what Yang felt at the moment. She was sad for Naruto and wished he didn't have to go through that pain, but at the moment, Yang was worried. She was worried that it would be** _ **the**_ **breaking point for her boyfriend, the point where he lost himself.**

 **She wouldn't be surprised if it was.**

 **Naruto had lost so much already to the Fourth War: His parents were dead before he could even recognize them, let alone see their faces. He'd lost his pseudo-grandfather, who played a large part in his upbringing. A part of Naruto's soul was forever gone when their twisted project, a boy his age, died at his hands.**

"These guys are just the worst, why can't people just be good people?" Ruby couldn't help but ask.

"Because there will always be people who are greedy, Ruby." Pyrrha told her. "And when people want something, they'll do terrible things to get it. Even if they do it for what they assume to be good reasons. Or just outright terrible reasons."

 **Now his godfather, the only remaining link he had to his parents, the man that had taken three years of his own time to show Naruto the world, was** _ **gone**_ **. In the grand scheme of things, it would appear to be a small loss, but Yang was sure that to Naruto, his world had been significantly rocked, and not in a good way.**

"Not in the Yang way."

"Really?" Weiss asked.

"They set it, I had to take it." Yang grumbled. "It makes me feel better. So shut up."

 **If Yang were in his shoes, if someone had killed her father, her uncle, her teammates or her little sister, it would be enough to justify getting revenge by any means necessary. She would be out hunting down those responsible.**

Everyone took a few inches away from Yang.

Who was only nodding in agreement.

 **That Naruto wasn't on a warpath right now could change in an instant.**

 **So, it was now, in the moment, that Yang would push her fears back, and just be there. To help him grieve, to help him accept and to help him move on. They stayed in the classroom, silently grieving the world's Super Pervert with a Heart of Gold, for the rest of the day, until the rest of Team NHKS came to gather up their emotionally drained leader.**

"Oh, come on guys, we were having a moment." Yang frowned, it was _their_ moment. Totally ruined.

 **Kurama hung back while Sasuke helped Naruto hobble out and Haku cleaned up the wasted Ramen. The Faunus put a hand on Yang's shoulder, giving the red-eyed girl a grateful nod. He squeezed her shoulder once before he left the classroom, and after a few minutes, Yang vacated the room as well.**

 **Yang pulled out her scroll when it played Ruby's jingle and sighed. Ignoring Ruby when she was with Naruto was easy, but doing it alone always made her feel horrible. Answering the call, Yang put the scroll up to her ear.**

 **"Yes, Ruby?"**

 **"** _ **Did you hear the news?!**_ **"**

"Yeah, we kinda did." Yang smiled at Ruby, who flustered.

 **"Yeah...I did." Yang sighed. She stopped at a window and looked over at a nearby building, where the janitorial staff was placing a tarp over a massive wall, and a few gardeners were debating how to best fill in the sudden groove that ruined the perfectly cut grass.**

 **"** _ **What're you going to do?**_ **" Ruby asked.**

 **"I don't know, Rubes. Just...Be there, I guess." Yang muttered while she rested against the wall.**

 **"** _ **What?! Are you going to drop out, too?! You can't do this to us, Yang! Team RWBY needs you!**_ **"**

"Wait, back up, what?!" Yang's jaw dropped.

"I know something you didn't~!"

"Not the time Ruby!" Yang snapped at her lil sis.

 **"Wait a minute..." Yang frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Ruby, what are** _ **you**_ **talking about? Who dropped out?"**

 **"** _ **Team NHKS!**_ **"**

Nora broke out into laughter, as the others jaws dropped a bit.

"Oh man! Did any of you see that coming? Because I did _not_!"

"Nora." Ren nudged her with a whisper, pointing to the flared up Yang.

"I'mma rip someone a new one." The blonde confirmed.

"Oooh."

 **"...** _ **What**_ **!?" Yang almost dropped her scroll when she jumped back to her feet and sprinted for the Dorms. "What do you mean they dropped out!?"**

 **"** _ **Er, well, at least, that's what Nora told me.**_ **" Yang's eye twitched. Nora was almost as bad a gossip as Kurama was, only her 'juicy news' was always embellished to the extreme, so most people didn't believe her.**

"How is that _my_ fault?" Nora puffed up her cheeks. Honestly, people should just believe her more.

 **Most people sadly did not include Ruby.**

"I feel insulted by this."

 **"** _ **She saw Kurama and Sasuke talking with Professor Ozpin and some old guy with a weird purple bar across his nose. She said Ren said he overheard them say they'd be packed and ready to go as soon as they found Naruto.**_ **"**

 **"As soon as-?!" Yang's eye twitched. "Ruby, get Weiss and Blake and meet me outside their room!"**

 **"** _ **Uhh...I would...But-Hey, give it back!**_ **" "** _ **Yang, it's Blake.**_ **" The soft-spoken voice of Yang's partner cut into the conversation while Ruby's struggles to reclaim her scroll were heard in the background.**

"You jacked my Scroll!" Ruby pouted at Blake.

"I'm more to the point."

"Like a katana~" Yang joked.

"Now?"

"I joke when I'm stressed, or punch things. Which do you want?"

"Point."

 **"** _ **They're already gone.**_ **"**

 **Yang slowed to a stop, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stood alone in a hallway. "Gone...but, I just...I just saw them..."**

 **"** _ **Yeah, the um ...Old Guy, that Ruby described grabbed their things about fifteen minutes ago.**_ **" Blake sounded uneasy. "** _ **And um...Asuma and Guy**_ **helped** _ **him.**_ **"**

 **Yang's head tilted down and her free hand balled into a fist, her eyes burned red with anger. "They helped..."**

"It's nuclear Yang." Ruby whimpered, hiding under her cloak.

 **"** _ **Yeah...Something...Something big is happening. I've heard a few whispers from the Vacuo students...And Sun's...Well, it doesn't...It almost...**_ **"**

 **"Spit it out, Blake!" Yang frowned. Blake normally didn't mind being as blunt as sledgehammer, and it was admittedly one of her more positive traits. Sometimes things had to just be said, so that people would learn**

 **"** _ **Give me that.**_ **" Weiss' voice interjected into the scroll.**

"Stop taking my stuff!" Ruby's muffled voice whined under the cloak.

"Shh." Weiss told her, slapping the cloak. Ruby made a squeak noise.

 **"** _ **Yang. From what we've heard, it sounds like...like Vacuo's preparing for War. We think-well,**_ **I** _ **think that Team NHKS has been drafted.**_ **"**

"War…War never changes."

Yang kicked Nora's shin.

"Ow!"

 **This time Yang did drop her scroll. She slumped to her knees and the voices of her team started to become muted. The red in her eyes had dwindled away as the thought of Vacuo preparing for war repeated in her mind.**

 **Yang remained on her knees on the ground, her eyes unfocused and distant.**

 _ **NHKS has been drafted.**_ **Naruto** _ **'s been drafted.**_

 **More silent tears poured out of her eyes, but they were not empathetic tears.**

 **Yang wore her heart on her sleeves, and right now, it felt like they had just been ripped off.**

"Damn." Yatsuhashi said for the now silent room.

"…Why _my_ Bae?" Yang struggled, ruffling her hair. "Man, blonds are so much trouble to deal with."

"Tell us about it." Her team told her.

"I better go get him or I'm going to explode." Yang huffed, her eyes red as she crossed her arms.


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXVI: Homecoming**

"Super pissed." Yang blunted told the group.

"We know." Everyone groaned.

 **When Naruto awoke, he did not find himself back in his team's room. Hell, he was pretty sure he wasn't even on Beacon's campus. This thought was confirmed when he started to sit up, only to find that he was restricted by several thick leather straps that went across his body and kept his arms bound to his sides.**

Yang threw her arms in the air. "Come on! I haven't even gotten to do bondage with him yet! Not fair!"

"Bandages?" Ruby cocked her head.

"No, that stuff in Blake's books."

Blake glared at her with a dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Stop reading my stuff!"

"Stop leaving it around." Yang rebuffed her.

 **"What the fuck...?" Naruto muttered. His brows furrowed in bewilderment. He craned his head up and around in order to try and get a better view of the layout. There was an overhead light that flickered obnoxiously and the steel walls were covered in grime. Looking past his feet, he saw another grimy wall with a door in the middle, with a sliding port on the outside.**

 _ **Okay...seriously. What. The. Fuck?**_ **Naruto thought while he jerked around in an effort to break out of his binds. As his semblance slowly built up, he grit his teeth and tried to force himself free. To his astonishment, the binds that kept him atop the table seemed to soak in the aura that Naruto expelled as his semblance's power grew. Rather than wasting time testing the binds' limits, Naruto stopped and closed his eyes.**

 _ **All right, keep your cool, Naruto. Think it through.**_ **Naruto took a deep breath and his eyes screwed shut.** _ **The last thing I remember is being with Yang...And while we have joked about tying down each other, I highly doubt this is her doing.**_

"That's a fair assessment." Coco teased Yang.

"Please, if this was my doing, he'd be butt naked."

 _ **For one thing, I still have clothes on. Unless that's part of her game...Which is doubtful, but still a possibility. Though, considering my surroundings.**_

 **Naruto opened his eyes and glared around the room again.**

 _ **Yeah, okay, definitely not Yang's attempt to cheer me up with role-play. Honestly, I don't know if I would totally be up for that. Old Toad would never let me live-Oh. Right. Dead.**_ **Naruto closed his eyes and grimaced.** _ **Oum, I really need to think about that later. I need to figure out when the hell did I get... wherever the fuck I am?**_

"When you were stolen from me by your team. Which I plan to slowly torture." Yang smiled sinisterly. "Or at least my other better be planning to."

 **The window on the metal door slid open with a grating squeal that Naruto was sure would annoy the hell out of any Faunus ten times it did him. Through the small window, two dark eyes appeared and were accompanied by a thin trail of smoke that drifted up.**

 **"Awake, now?"**

 **"Asuma? Where am I? What the hell is going on!?" Naruto demanded. He struggled against his binds and growled as his body began to glow. "And why the fuck can't I break out of these binds!?"**

 **"Calm down, Naruto." Asuma said softly to the blond. Naruto glared at him with bared teeth, his eyes a bright red instead of their usual sparkling blue.**

 **"And why the fuck should I!?"**

"I think anyone would react poorly to be strapped down to a table in a dinky dungeon." Jaune dryly noted.

"It's a room, not dungeon." Weiss corrected.

 **"Because if you don't, I'll have to knock you out** _ **again**_ **," Asuma said flatly. He puffed on his cigarette and the smoke trail moved to the opposite side of the man's head. His finger rubbed at his eye, and Naruto got the feeling he was being flipped off discreetly. "On the flight here, you woke up and ...didn't react well to being taken from Beacon."**

 **"We're not in Beacon!?"**

Nora snorted. "Of course you are! You're just in the basement. Cut off from the word. Where no one can hear you scream."

"…And no more horror movies for a while." Ren muttered with a chill down his spine.

 **"Calm.** _ **Down**_ **." Asuma reiterated firmly. "Listen-!"**

 **"I think talking to him through the door is doing more harm than good, Asuma." Drawled an unseen male from the other side of the door.**

 **"Commander, given his hostilities on the trip over-" an elderly voice protested from out of sight.**

 **Naruto stiffened at the title that was used. Being the first line of defense that it was, Kon was not a village run by civilians. The** _ **citizens**_ **ran the village of Kon, and civilians' opinions were of little concern in the grand scheme of things. Hearing that the top dog was outside his door, he was even more willing to calm down, if only to see the village's leader and get answers directly.**

"And here comes Ironwood 2.0." Blake drawled, her bow twitching in annoyance.

 **"Honorary advisors, what a surprise!" The other voice sarcastically chirped. "I don't believe I invited you to this location."**

 **"Wha-Buh-We were only-!" An elderly woman sputtered, only to be cut off.**

 **"In fact, I do believe upon taking office that I told you as clearly as I could to, and I quote 'fuck off and die.'"**

"Whoa." Yatsuhashi said as jaws dropped at the blunt dismissal of two somebodies.

 **"See here-!"**

 **"Fuck. Off. And.** _ **Die**_ **." The younger man's voice reiterated. "The council was abolished during my master's time as the Fourth Commander, and I** _ **personally**_ **abolished** _ **your**_ **positions upon taking the Fifth seat.**

"I retract my statement." Blake confessed as she looked amused at the screen.

"Now that's a leader." Yang whistled.

Ruby was frowning though. "Does he have to swear so much?"

"Yes."

 **So! Now that our little history lesson is over, Asuma, would you kindly escort these** _ **honorary**_ **members of the village** _ **out**_ **of** _ **my**_ **building?"**

 **Naruto watched the small visible part of Asuma's eye glisten gleefully and a sharp clack of a sandal was heard as it shifted into place. The protesting elders' voices swiftly decreased in volume as they were led away from the cell he was in. The window on the door was slid shut swiftly, a feat Naruto didn't think was possible with how rusty it appeared, and the heavy lock door was audibly undone with a loud click. The door was pushed open and Naruto's dwindling rage was promptly snuffed out.**

 **Standing in the doorway was a tall, lanky man with spikey silver hair. A thin, neat scar ran over his left eye. The eye in question was black, which contrasted greatly to the warm chocolate colored eye that rested in the right socket. That was as far as describing his facial features went because of the cloth mask that seemed molded to his face from the middle of his nose down to his neck.**

"Hey, isn't that the Kakashi guy?" Nora pointed out.

"He's the student of their military leader?" Weiss' eyes widened.

"Pedigree out the wazzu~!"

"Not by much!" Weiss snapped at Yang's insinuating.

He was a buffoon through and through.

 **The man wore the same attire Asuma chose to wear, with a few variations. Gloves with metal plates along the back were pulled over the man's hands and tape was wound tightly around the end of the man's pants, which were tucked into the man's combat sandals. His olive flak jacket was missing a few pouches that Asuma had and had a few bronzed bars stamped into the collar. Finally, wrapped around his head to keep his unusual silver hair from his eyes, was a navy band with a blank metal plate on it.**

 **"Kakashi." Naruto blinked. Kakashi's eyes closed and seemingly curved upwards, as if he were smiling. His left hand vacated his pocket and lifted up in greeting.**

 **"Yo!" Kakashi's carefree tone and his slouched posture greatly differed from the commanding voice that had been heard through the door. He walked over to the wall on Naruto's left and tapped a few visible screws in a unique sequence.**

 **The bands that held Naruto in place were quickly retracted into the table and Naruto slowly sat up. Rubbing his red right wrist, the blond kept his attention on his former teacher.**

 **"...Where-?"**

 **"This, Naruto, is a specially made room crafted in the very heart of the Commander's Office." Kakashi sighed and let his head hang slightly as he faced the teenager. "A room that was meant to hold you, should you...do something you'd regret."**

"He has his own panic room?" Pyrrha questioned with a confused look.

"Or incase he flips out. He does that sometimes." Velvet pointed.

Weiss frowned. "Why would they make a room just for that?"

It seemed like a total waste of money.

 **"...W-What do you mean?" Naruto asked. He examined the room again. No windows, one door, and a lifted bed to rest on. It was a bed that could keep him in place even when he had his semblance on the rise, thanks to those weird anti-Aura bands. He shuddered, even hospitals had windows.**

 **"The Ramen Incident."**

 **Naruto blinked and looked back at his old teacher.**

 **"Naruto, do you even** _ **remember**_ **what happened on that day?" Kakashi asked. Naruto shook his head and the older man shuddered.**

"We don't talk about what happened that day." Yang said in a dark gritty voice.

Ruby looked at her sister. "Why?"

"The Cookie Incident."

"Oh, shutting up now."

"Smart move, Rubes."

 **"You know what, that's probably for the best. Ibiki can't look at you the same way anymore."**

 **"...Who's Ibiki?"**

 **"Exactly. Now c'mon, I'll walk you back to your apartment," Kakashi said with a concealed grin thrown over his shoulder. "You need to shower. Three days in a dark hole does not leave for a clean aroma."**

 **"That's not exactly my fault..." Naruto deadpanned as he followed his sensei out of the room. A minute ticked by before he caught up to what was said. "Wait a minute!** _ **Three**_ **days!?"**

"How much did they sedate him?" Velvet asked with concern. "I mean, there's not a single IV in that room. How was he even hydrated?!"

"I don't think they'd go into details like that." Coco told her.

"But that's just unethical!"

 **"You are** _ **very**_ **unreasonable when you're under** _ **its**_ **control, Naruto."**

"He's on his cycle, like Yang."

Yang shot her baby sister a dirty look at that.

 **"Under** _ **what's**_ **control? Kakashi, where am I?! Where's my team?! Why aren't we in Beacon-?!" Naruto stopped before he ran into the halted form of the older man. Kakashi had turned halfway to face him and Naruto's anger, which was slowly bubbling its way back up to the surface, quickly retreated at the cold, detached look forced down on him.**

 **In front of him right now was no longer his beloved teacher from his days at Kon Academy, but the Fifth Commander assigned to watch over and run the village at the behest of Vacuo's leaders. He stared down at Naruto like the blond was a child throwing a tantrum. It was not a look he had ever seen on his teacher's face and it was not one he wanted to be under ever again.**

 **"...Are you done?" Kakashi asked. Naruto swallowed a big gulp of air and his tongue turned to lead. He nodded stiffly.**

 **"Y-Yes...sir."**

 **"Good." Kakashi turned forward and resumed his stride. It took only a second for Naruto to be roused from his shaken state, and he quickly rushed back up to walk alongside his old teacher. Kakashi let his hands rest behind the small of his back, resting over the collapsed form of his weapon while they continued down the hallway. "Now, I cannot say anything about where you are precisely, as it would diminish the purpose of the location if you were to ever escape your binds, however unlikely that would be. Sasuke, Kurama and the Fog student are currently preoccupied with preparations for an assignment I gave to them and** _ **only**_ **to them."**

"Oh, low blow." Coco winced as she glanced at her team. "I'd hate for you guys to be just ushered by someone higher up without my say so."

"And we love you for that." Velvet smiled.

"I know you do, Cottontail."

Yatsuhashi chuckled while Fox grinned just a bit.

 **"They're** _ **my**_ **team!" Naruto blurted out in protest. A raised hand stopped anything more that might've been said by the whiskered blond.**

 **"As proud as I am to hear you say that, part of being a leader is knowing how to trust your subordinates to take care of themselves," Kakashi said. He sent a kinder, much more familiar eye-smile at the blond. "After all, you're still one of** _ **my**_ **cute little students, no matter how tall you get or how many gray hairs you grow."**

"Blonde for life." Yang disagreed.

 **"...Kakashi,** _ **you**_ **have gray hair." Naruto deadpanned.**

 **"So? In case you've forgotten, Naruto, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have the hair of an old man, but the beauty of a young maiden." he said cheerfully.**

"I don't see any boobs on you, _Mr._ Maiden." Nora pointed out.

 **The two eyes opened and leveled the blond with a stern look. "In all seriousness, though, Naruto, this is a trial for them more-so than it is for you. Keep that in mind."**

 **"Fine...But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Naruto grunted.**

 **"I'd be more upset if you did," the village leader said with an approving nod. "While you've been away, there have been several changes in Kon's structure, as have there been in our sister villages. Vacuo's been poisoned by the elders and minor councils for decades now. Unintentionally, I'm sure, but still, the damage is painfully obvious. Your childhood circumstances, for example."**

"And now I suddenly feel pissed off again." Yang muttered with red eyes.

 **Naruto grimaced and reached up to gently grab hold of the rings that dangled from his neck. He didn't like to dwell on the past for too long for good reason; there were more tears than smiles.**

The buxom blonde smirked. "And I bring all his smiles to the yard."

"Along with your dairy cow milkshakes." Weiss teased.

"You wish you had my titties."

Coco lowered her glasses to look at them. "I don't know. Would have to get a feel for them first to see if that holds water."

Yang grinned at her, as Coco grinned right back.

 **"Ugh, I hate when you get all serious, Kakashi. What's that even mean?" Naruto groaned and scratched his head. Kakashi stopped at the bottom of a stairwell and turned to face Naruto fully. His stern 'leader' glare was back and Naruto struggled not to wilt beneath it.**

 **"I will not cut corners with you, Naruto. Since news of Jiraiya's death has reached us, we've been preparing for war. We even revoked the age limit on enrollment to the academy." His words made Naruto's eyes widen. Before the whiskered blond could say anything, Kakashi held his hand up to keep him quiet. Assured he had Naruto's full attention, his hand dropped back to rest behind him. "I know. It's wrong, and it's a horrible thing to think about, but I'd rather have children that can defend themselves in the worst-case scenario than innocents who had no chance from the get go. I swear to you now as I swore to the parents of the village, they will** _ **never**_ **see a battlefield so long as I can help it."**

"And what if he can't?" Blake scowled.

"It's war." Pyrrha sighed, looking tired.

"As if we need more of it."

"I agree, Blake. Without question."

 **"...I'll hold you to it, Commander." Naruto nodded with a frown on his face.**

 **"See that you do." Kakashi nodded back. He turned on his heel and proceeded to go up the stairs, Naruto still following behind him. "With your godfather gone, our connection to the Myōboku Wanderers and our information network in general is weakened. He may not have shared who his contacts around Remnant are with you, but if he has, please let me know."**

 **"During our trip we stopped at a lot of red light districts, brothels and bars," Naruto said softly. "Start there. Anyone who's avoiding his name should be worth noting.**

"And he's got spy know-how? Mm, maybe we could roleplay that." Yang licked her lips.

"Are you hungry?" Ruby asked her, holding up a cookie.

"No, just thirsty."

 **I never met any of his contacts, but he knew that he...he..."**

 **Kakashi stopped for a third time and looked back down at Naruto.**

 **"Naruto," he said softly, reaching out to put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "I'm so sorry for your loss. Lord Jiraiya was..."**

 **"...What were you talking about earlier? You said something about me being under 'its' control? What control are you talking about?" Naruto asked without meeting Kakashi's gaze. While he was grateful for the words and support, he still wasn't really ready to talk about it. Hell, he could hardly believe he was...wherever they were for three days when it felt like only one night had gone by. Kakashi seemed to understand this and retracted his hand. They started walking again, ascending the stairwell in silence for a good three flights.**

 _ **Just how deep underground are we, anyway?**_ **Naruto wondered as they started up the fourth flight. With each step echoing in his head and his worry for his teammates growing, Naruto almost snapped when Kakashi suddenly stopped halfway up the flight.**

 **"I'm going to have to blindfold you, Naruto.**

"Hey! Stop talking all of our firsts!" The gauntlet user complained.

"So? You'd still do it." Blake told her.

"Firsts make it all the more better, Blake!"

"…You have to stop reading my books."

 **This is as far as any detainee has gotten without being caught." Kakashi turned and offered a black band he pulled from one of the hidden pouches on his flak jacket. "I've asked a lot of your patience today and I know that it is waning, but please trust me. I do this for your safety."**

 **"...Blindfolding someone halfway up a flight of stairs who knows how many feet underground...Yeah. My safety is** _ **obviously**_ **what you're worried about." Naruto deadpanned.**

"He didn't even ask for a safe word? Lame."

"I know, I hate when that happens." Weiss agreed with Yang, only to freeze when she realized what she said and the eyes now on her.

"Uh, Weiss?" Ruby asked with worry.

"I said nothing!"

 **He still complied, knowing how he could easily be ordered or – Oum forbid – glared at. Seriously, Kakashi's glare was on par with Yang's yelling, with only the latter winning marginally.**

"Marginally?!" Yang glared heatedly at the screen.

 **"I promise, Naruto, this will all make sense soon." Kakashi assured him as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Then a cold feeling overcame the blond, along with a** _ **lot**_ **of pressure. It was as if someone suddenly tossed him into the ocean with weights on his legs.**

 _ **Pervy Sage, though I miss you, I do not miss your training exercises…**_ **Naruto thought as he banished that particular memory. He was almost shark bait. Then, as suddenly as it came, the feeling vanished. With it went all of Naruto's energy and the air in his lungs. He fell to his hands and knees, gulping down that sweet, sweet life-gas vigorously while Kakashi rubbed his back.**

 **"Sorry, Naruto." The village leader apologized. "It's disorienting the first time for everyone.**

"That's what he said." Coco grinned wolfishly.

"Eho!" Yang cheered.

 **You'll be a little light headed for a while. Trust me, I speak from experience."**

 **"Are you going to hold that against me forever? Because I've told you that it was** _ **totally**_ **not my fault." The voice of a newcomer was muffled and, as curious as he was, Naruto couldn't find the strength to remove his visual hindrance. If this was anything what it was like to** _ **not**_ **be blessed with ever increasing durability and strength, Naruto was so grateful to whatever powers that be he wasn't 'normal'.**

 **"Yes, just as I'm sure it wasn't Lord Fourth's fault that his semblance gave us a damn heart attack every time he used it to 'accidentally surprise' us." Kakashi's deadpanned response would've made Naruto laugh, but he was still trying to breathe.**

 **"Heh, yeah...Wait, you actually had heart attacks? It was so hard to tell with how 'professional' you were."**

 **"Fuck you, you good for nothing klutz."**

"Where's the swear jar in this show? Seriously!" Ruby complained.

 **"Ah, you know I wuv you, Kaka-baka! You're my cute widdle brother!" There was a loud crash and a following groan. "Ow..."**

 **"Klutz?" Naruto asked once he got back to his feet and could breath normally again. "Kakashi, what the hell was that? Where are we? Can I take this stupid thing off now?"**

 **"You may remove the cloth, Naruto."**

"And then he saw the sex dungeon."

"Lala~! I can't hear you!" Ruby said loudly as she covered her ears from Yang's vulgarity.

"You will once puberty actually hits you."

 **Naruto did so as soon as his old teacher said the word 'remove'. He found himself in the village leader's office, a place he'd been many times in his youth to speak with his beloved and now deceased grandfather. The décor had hardly changed, though there were now five pictures above the leader's desk instead of the previous four. Naruto's eyes lingered on the fourth picture momentarily, taking in the intense seriousness that had overcome his father's face when he got his picture taken.**

 **"You know, he'd be proud of you, kid." Naruto jumped when a hand of inorganic material patted his shoulder. The owner of the arm was scarred man with a good portion of the left side of his face covered. He was someone Naruto held dear to heart, even if he had to be away for long portions of time. Hell, this was the man who'd gotten him started on pranking in the first place.**

"And I hate him already." Weiss sniffed.

"Buzz kill." Yang playfully shoved her.

 **"Obito!" Naruto grinned before clasping his hand around the older man's false one. A quick bro-hug was shared between the two. When they parted, Naruto continued to smile at the older man. "How've you been!? Where've you been?! It's been a few years!"**

 **"How've** _ **I**_ **been? Kid, how've** _ **you**_ **been?" Obito asked, his smile slipping and becoming a frown. "I'm not back in town for three minutes and I hear you're only** _ **now**_ **awake."**

 **"I..." Naruto's smile faltered and his eyes dropped. "I've been...Okay."**

 **"He's been suffering from the Uzumaki Curse, Obito."**

"It must be genetic, good luck Yang." Weiss offered her condolences.

"Our babies will still be the hottest thing since sex."

 **The two spiky haired males looked at Kakashi, who'd taken his seat behind his desk. The white haired man gestured to the chair set opposite him. "Naruto, this may surprise you, so, please. Sit."**

 **Naruto blinked, looked back to the man he considered his pseudo-uncle, before he took the offered seat. Obito moved to lean against the edge of Kakashi's desk, careful not to disturb the few photographs set there by the Commander, and crossed his arms. Kakashi interlaced his hands in front of his masked face.**

 **"Tell me, Naruto. What do you** _ **know**_ **about your family?"**

 **"They were a clan of nomads who stayed within the boundaries of Vacuo. They didn't worry about settling because they could handle the Grimm and preferred to be on the move rather than worry about starting up defensive positions in one place," Naruto said, reciting what he could from memory about Vacuo's nomadic clans.**

"Note to self, no nomadic lifestyle." Yang typed into her Scroll.

 **"Good, but do you know why they chose to brave the Grimm on a daily basis? Why they didn't join Vacuo or form their own settlement?" Kakashi asked. Naruto shook his head. The silver haired man looked at Obito, who shrugged, before he looked back at his student. "That would be due to the Uzumaki's familial semblance."**

 **"...Uh-?"**

 **"It's not a semblance in a traditional sense." Obito was quick to add. "It's rare, but you know how some traits happen to follow a family such as hair or eye color for generations? Well, this was a small trait that also happened to follow the family, but more of an internal trait than an external trait."**

 **"...So, that's why you call it the Uzumaki Curse, instead?" Naruto muttered. "It's a negative trait."**

"This better not affect the babies." Yang frowned at the coming explanation.

"Oh boy." Ruby looked worried.

Yang didn't like surprises like these.

 **"It's not...negative, per say. It just happens to kick in around the worst times for an Uzumaki. Generally when they're under great stress or emotional anguish. Now, that's not an excuse for you to use," Kakashi said. Naruto nodded with a somber look on his face. Kakashi leaned forward. "From what your mother told us and what Jiraiya learned over time he spent with you, was your family's curse tended to...amplify an individual's semblance."**

"And that's a bad thing?" Jaune looked confused.

"Don't think so." Ren told him. "Though you can't be too sure. Let's watch."

 **"What do you mean? Make it stronger?" Naruto frowned. "How's that a bad thing?"**

 **"Imagine you've just witnessed your team get slaughtered by Grimm, Naruto." Obito cut in. He rubbed his arm gently for a moment before he looked back at Naruto. "Imagine you watched your most treasured friends and allies fall. Tell me, what would you do?"**

 **"...I'd kill the Grimm." Naruto muttered. He thought about the offered scenario, and clenched his fists. "Probably be so mad that...I'd push my semblance as far as it could go. To do it as fast as I could so I...I could put them to rest."**

"That feels like a rather painful experience." Pyrrha frowned.

 **"But then after the Grimm were destroyed, what if you couldn't stop?" Obito asked. "What if you kept raging? Kept attacking anything in sight? And all the while, your semblance continued to grow in power until finally you stopped. Forever."**

"Like coma or-"

"He means death, Ruby." Blake told the young girl.

"Oh. Right…ouch."

"It won't come to that." Yang waved it off.

 **"...Is...Is that the Curse?" Naruto asked softly, his eyes wide. "An insatiable bloodlust?"**

 **"It doesn't have to be bloodlust Naruto." Kakashi said. "Emotional turmoil in general or just a lot of stress causes the semblance to act out and flare up. Negative emotions would just bring Grimm to the location and allow the Semblance use. Then it would go amok from there."**

 **"Until death..." Naruto concluded somberly. He closed his eyes. "That's...That's how my mother died, isn't it?"**

 **"...Yes." Kakashi nodded while Obito looked down. "...The night you were born, we were attacked by the Fourth War for the first time. Their leader isolated your parents from the village. From what we learned in the post-battle investigation, your father was severely injured and Kushina was...consumed by the Curse while you were...held hostage."**

"They took baby bae!?" Yang clenched her fists. "Ugh, those bastards!"

"Well, extremes are crazy like that." Weiss told her.

Blake looked annoyed, she felt like she was just insulted.

 **Naruto's hands tightened on the arms of his chair. "So...I was abducted. And they were manipulated."**

 **"Naruto, look at me." Kakashi said firmly. He waited until the blond looked at him again. "You. Were. A.** _ **Baby**_ **. There was nothing you could do but cry. If anything, it was because of you that we found the battlefield at all."**

"He does have a set of lungs." Yang agreed grumbly.

 **"On a side note, you had a hell of a set of lungs on you.**

"Called it."

 **I think I still have problems with this ear," Obito said while pointing at his covered ear. Naruto looked at him and cracked a small smile. The older man grinned back at him.**

 **"Are you sure that wasn't from all the scolding you've had over the years?" Kakashi asked dryly. Obito fell over and a cloud of depression could almost be seen drifting off of the man while he drew circles in the floor with his robotic arm.**

 **"Such a mean little bro..." Obito complained.**

 **"Tough love, Obito. It's all tough love." Kakashi cheerfully informed him.**

 **Naruto chuckled and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. He missed the quick look the older men shared as he did. When his arm lowered, Obito was back leaning against Kakashi's desk while the Commander had started to dig around in his desk. A second later and a set of keys were tossed Naruto's way.**

 **"I've been holding onto these since you left. I know you wanted it renovated and cleaned for someone else to move in, but...we'll always have a place for our own," Kakashi said, his eyes closed in their usual smiling manner. "Go home, think on what I've said."**

"Bae's house?" Yang perked up.

Blake smirked, "It's probably a cozy apartment."

"I don't care if it's small. It just means we can do it anywhere a lot faster."

"…Dammit Yang." The cat Faunus glared with pink cheeks.

 **"And for Oum's sake, take a shower, man!" Obito waved his organic hand in front of his face. "You smell like the** _ **worst**_ **case of afterglow."**

 **"I-That's-He locked me up somewhere for three days!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at Kakashi, who'd retreated to hide behind a certain book. Naruto's eye twitched.** _ **Kakashi pulled a Sasuke...Or has Sasuke been pulling a Kakashi? Son of a bitch.**_

"Why is everyone in power a fan of this dumb series?!" Weiss pulled at her hair.

 **"Excuses!" Obito turned his head away and pointed at the door. "Begone from our sight, Citizen!"**

 **Naruto scowled at them and walked out, grumbling over how it wasn't his fault he stank and how much he'd rather be at Beacon hanging out with his girlfriend.**

Yang nodded sternly. "He totally gets the score."

 **Once the blond left, Obito dropped his playful façade and frowned. He stepped forward and looked over the village. His inorganic hand rested behind him while he put a hand on the window.**

 **"Kakashi," he began softly. "Do you think telling Naruto how we found his parents was wise?"**

 **"He's now a huntsman-in-training, Obito. If** _ **She**_ **has her way, he'll either be a Huntsman before the second year even starts or worse." Kakashi replied, not looking up from his book once. He turned the page and exhaled softly through his nose.**

"One, who is _she_?" Yang listed off her finger. "And two, what's worse than already being a huntsman?"

 **"He'll be dead."**

"Oh, that's way worse." Ruby noted.

Yang gave her a dry look. "No duh."

 **"Then let's pray that when his team returns, we find something we can use to delay** _ **her**_ **wishes," Obito said softly. He turned around and walked back to his longtime friend's desk. "Speaking of, has any word been sent on their progress?"**

 **"No. Still nothing. I hope it's just the radio silence, but..." Kakashi sighed and set his book down.**

Coco gave Velvet a frown. "Your boytoy's missing already."

The bunny turned red. "Not my boytoy, Coco."

"You know he is."

 **He looked over at a picture of himself with four young students. Naruto and Kurama had their arms over each others' shoulders, giving each other bunny ears, while Sasuke had his arms crossed and looked away from the camera stubbornly, while between Naruto and Sasuke was a happy Sakura giving the camera a victory sign, and Kakashi stood behind them all with his hand on Naruto and Sasuke's heads, ruffling their hair and his eyes closed. The Commander of Kon smiled gently behind his mask.**

 **"I can't help but worry," he said. "They are my precious students."**

"Aw, that's cute." Pyrrha smiled.

"Too bad he's such a unwholesome man now." Weiss said, glaring at the younger Naruto.

 **Naruto sighed as he shut the shower off and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He'd needed that more than he thought he did. The shower was more of a stress reliever than it was a time to wash his body. He stepped out of the shower once the water had fully stopped, with water still dripping from his hair and running down from his head.**

 **Naruto wiped away the fog in his bathroom mirror and investigated the marks on his face again.**

 **"** _ **You were...held hostage.**_ **"**

 **The words repeated in Naruto's head and he frowned while three fingers ran across his cheek. That only cemented his belief that the marks were some sort of scarring, perhaps left by the one that abducted him.**

"They make you rugged bae, don't feel blue." Yang tried to encourage.

Weiss raised a brow. "He can't hear you."

"Shh, Weiss, no one cares what you think."

"H-How dare you!"

 **Naruto shook his head, unintentionally splattering droplets on the mirror and walls. He was just going to get himself worked up if he kept thinking about it. Naruto dug around in his bathroom cabinet before he found a duplicate of his old toothbrush, still in the packaging.**

 **Naruto chuckled and ripped the utensil out, lathered it with toothpaste, and began scrubbing away at his teeth for a good few minutes while his mind drifted from one subject to another. These thoughts were generally focused on either his team or his girlfriend.**

"Mainly me." Yang smiled brightly.

 **Recalling Kakashi's earlier words to not worry about the former, he spat out the toothpaste and wiped away any residue with his formerly waist-bound towel.**

 **What? Being a bachelor and living alone had its perks, and Naruto really didn't care for modesty.**

Yang purred. "Oh, do go on."

Ruby covered her eyes. "Where's the censor bar?!"

"Who needs it!"

Blake looked away. "I think he does."

"Meh, his dong is bigger than the bar." Yang waved off.

 **Walking out of the restroom and using his towel to finish drying his hair, Naruto looked around his small apartment. A fond smile crossed his face as he looked at the few markings made into the wall. Being the runt of the class, he always took time each morning to measure how much he'd grown.**

Yang held her cheeks. "Aw! Just like Ruby."

"I'm not short!"

"Yes you are." Yatsuhashi told her.

Ruby fumed.

 **"Heh, stopped after Ero-Sennin and I came back," Naruto said softly, his smile becoming sad. Naruto put his hand on the wall and closed his eyes. The day he returned to Kon was one of the most bittersweet memories he had. Yes, he came home for his last year of Kon Academy, but that was also the day he'd met and was almost robbed by Emerald.**

 _ **...I should call Yang.**_ **Naruto thought as he opened his eyes. Up and disappearing on his girlfriend after sharing an emotional night was probably not a smart move,**

"Yeah, I sense you on the couch in the future." Yang crossed her arms.

 **but it wasn't exactly his fault.**

"Excuses!"

 **And thinking about his ex-girlfriend was one of the last things he** _ **wanted**_ **to do, but at least thinking of her always made him think of Yang.**

"…I have no words on how dumb that logic is." Jaune shook his head.

 **Coming to the conclusion that he was thinking too much and doing too little, Naruto walked to his room and tossed his towel off in the corner. He didn't really care where it landed, and was more focused on finding his Scroll.**

 **Upon finding the Scroll, in the sitting room of all places, Naruto was hindered by making the call when Obito suddenly walked into his apartment.**

 **"Hey, kiddo! Feeling bett-Oh for the love of-Naruto! Put some pants on dammit!"**

"I'll murder him if he says that again." Yang glared at Obito.

"He makes sens-" Yang knocked Weiss out with her extended fist.

"YANG!" Pyrrha screamed.

"I warned him!"

"Weiss is a girl!"

"She was added to it! Now let me watch." Yang smiled dopily at the screen. A perverse chuckle escaping her lips.

 **"You're the one barging into my apartment, Obito!"**

 **"Who walks around naked in their apartment!?"**

 **"I do, you jackass!"**

 **"Why!? Why would you do such a thing!?"**

 **"Because it's my apartment!"**

 **"That makes no sense!"**

 **"It makes perfect sense!"**

 **"Just get dressed!"**

 **"You get out!"**

 **Ah, it was great to be home.**

"What happened?" Weiss slurred awake.

"Everything." Yang beamed at her downed frame.

* * *

 **Won't lie, I kinda forgot about this story. Whelp! Here you go guys.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXVII: De Brief, De Parture**

 **"** _ **Whisker Boy, for the hundredth time, I**_ **know** _ **that you're sorry. What I am angry about is that you haven't come back to Beacon,**_ **" Yang said over the Scroll call.**

"I demand snuggles!" Yang slammed her fists on her thighs.

Ruby nodded, snuggles were nice. Now where was Zwei?

 **Naruto grimaced and scratched the back of his head at his girlfriend's frustrated growl. He was currently sitting outside of the Commander's office, waiting for his team's debriefing to come to an end. They'd returned a couple of days after he was released from his strange underground prison, and in that time period, he'd had spoken with Yang over scroll, vid-chat, and shared texts. Every time they did speak – after he clarified that** _ **no**_ **his team hadn't dropped out of Beacon, but were hired for a job by Kon's Commander – she would bring up their return.**

 **"I know, but this is a long term assignment and I wasn't exactly present to accept the mission." Naruto sighed. He rubbed his face when she huffed through the line.**

 **"** _ **They shouldn't have been able to accept!**_ **"**

"Yeah, I mean, you guys can't make a choice like that without me." Ruby nodded sternly.

"We do, we put it to a vote. It's easier with three people actually." Blake informed her.

Ruby released a gasp of betrayal at that.

 **"Yang, before we go out on one of these missions, hierarchy has to be determined by a team leader in case of a W.C.S. –"**

 **"** _ **A what?**_ **"**

 **"Worst Case Scenario," Naruto said. "I made Sasuke my second-in-command, and he wouldn't have taken this mission unless it was important.**

"It's good to know that as the partner of the team leader that I am second-in-command if anything befell her." Weiss said smugly, a flip of her hair just adding to her smugness.

"Ha!" Yang barked a laugh. "You wish. I am."

"The hot head?"

"More stable than you, princess."

"I would pick Blake." Ruby told them, her partner and sister looking shocked. "What's? She's cool and collected. Just look at the look on focus she has!"

Indeed, Blake had a clearly focused visage upon her face as she stared at the screen.

Internally though, things were different.

 _Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow._

"Pure, focus." Ruby whispered to the rest of her team.

 **I can't tell you all of the details-"**

 **"** _ **That's convenient**_ **." Yang muttered sourly.**

"Oddly in fact." Yang added.

 **"** _ **But**_ **," Naruto ignored her interjection and continued, "I can tell you that it** _ **is**_ **important. My hometown is in danger."**

 **"** _ **You're a first year Huntsman, what difference could you make?!**_ **"**

 **"First of all,** _ **ow**_ **. That hurt both my feelings** _ **and**_ **my pride. I expect a kiss to make it better. Secondly, you** _ **remember**_ **what my team did during The Breach, right?" Naruto asked pointedly. He leaned his head against the wall and cracked a grin. "Or are you still miffed that** _ **we**_ **blew up the square while your team only left a few dents?"**

"I left a crater! Somewhere…" Yang huffed.

"Like Crater-Face?"

"Jaune!" Ruby whined. That was forever ago!

Let it die.

 **"** _ **Naruto, I'm being serious!**_ **"**

 **"So am I, Yang." Naruto returned firmly as his grin slipped from his face. He looked forward, out the windows of the Commander's waiting room, to observe the sun setting over his birthplace. "This is our home, where we were born, raised, and trained. I'd risk it all to protect it** _ **and**_ **Beacon. Wouldn't you give your life to protect Patch?"**

 **"** _ **...When you get back, I am**_ **so** _ **cashing in on our bet.**_ **"**

"Haha! I won!" Yang cheered, a face splitting grin on her face.

"Ew." Blake wrinkled her nose.

"Don't knock it until you tried it." Coco told her.

The cat Faunus just blinked oddly at that one.

 **"Figured as much." Naruto sighed. He rubbed his hand over his face. "Any way I can talk you into a double or nothing?"**

 **"** _ **Nope~!**_ **"**

"Single anal is good enough, it's not like he could clone himself or something." Yang snickered.

"Do you have to be so vulgar?" Weiss raised a brow.

"Survey says… Yes."

 **"Damn." Naruto groaned. He cracked a little smile when Yang laughed. At least she wasn't growling anymore. "So, anything happen while we've been gone?"**

 **"** _ **Nora told me that she thinks Pyrrha's crushin on Jaune.**_ **"**

"Wha?" Jaune asked stupidly.

"Fast forward!" Pyrrha said, using her Semblance to grab the remote to fast forward.

 **"Really?! Huh, I didn't see** _ **that**_ **coming."**

 **"** _ **I know, right?**_ **" Yang snorted. "** _ **That's like saying Weiss has it bad for Kurama.**_ **"**

Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief they didn't linger on the topic.

Weiss looked ready to hurl.

 **"Now** _ **that's**_ **funny!" Naruto laughed. "It's never going to happen!"**

 **Kakashi stared across his desk at the three young men seated across from him. Two were his former students, who'd grown slightly since he last saw them, both externally and internally. The newcomer was from Kon's sister village** _ **and**_ **the protégé of a known and wanted assassin. Kakashi knew the boy's story already. He had known everything as soon as Ozpin sent him the team roster and, until very recently, his faith in Ozpin's decision hadn't been shaken in the slightest.**

 **That being said, the three across from him looked shaken, sleep-deprived, angry, and anxious.**

 **Kakashi watched them jump when Obito popped back into the room from the records building.**

 **Most would've missed it, but some experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses would've seen the tensed shoulders, the hands moving quickly to or tightening around their weapons, and their eyes dilating in preparation.**

 **Experienced** _ **soldiers**_ **, those who'd experienced horrors of combat that most modern Huntsmen and Huntresses likely never saw,**

"So were soft now? Please!" Nora waved off the notion.

"There is a sever lack of differing pressures from real wartime and peace time." Ren told her, only to have a pancake slap him in the face.

"I said, please!"

"…Okay."

 **would notice the rapid movement of eyes as they scanned the surroundings, the quickening of breath that came with the rush of adrenaline, and the slightest tremor or twitch somewhere on their body.**

 **Kakashi and Obito shared a quick look, unnoticed by the three inexperienced teens. They were familiar with the signs because they saw it in each other every day. The deaths of their teammates, friends, and their teacher left wounds that no amount of counseling or bandages could heal. They just survived, day by day, living lives that could barely be called such.**

"That's real depressing and wow, ruin the sparkle of our jobs guys." Coco blanched.

 **Though the symptoms weren't as severe for the three, Kakashi could tell that they were not fit for any sort of field mission so soon.**

 _ **What did they see to rattle them so much?**_ **The Commander wondered. He interlaced his hands and looked the three over again. Of them, one was more anxious to get this over with than the others. So Kakashi addressed him first.**

 **"Walk us through what happened, Kurama."**

 **The Fox-tailed Faunus' jaw flexed and he took a deep breath.**

 **"Two days after our departure from Beacon, Obito Nohara, aka, Fire Shadow, approached us while our team leader was...detained." Kurama began.**

"Forcefully bound without my approval!" Yang objected. "Or my viewing!"

"Sing it sister!" Coco fanned the flames.

"Help me." Blake covered her eyes with one hand.

 **"Our mission was to investigate the disappearances that had occurred in Kon's Red Light District. We started with the reports and dismissed Grimm attacks as the cause simply because there were no signs of intense struggle and that whoever was reported missing was generally a member of Kon's Forces. We suspected that the disappearances were because of narcotic use to drug the victims and relocate them with possibly unreciprocated sexual intentions in mind."**

"Date rape, how vile." Pyrrha scowled.

"And this is why you shouldn't go to those bars, Yang." Ruby chided.

"I only go to the most uplifting of establishments."

"You mean safe."

"No, uplifting." The blonde grinned to her sister.

 **"Basically, we planted a trap." Sasuke added. He ignored the dull glare Haku sent his way for the pun that Yang and Naruto would approve of.**

"Yang stamped and approved." The buxom blonde agreed.

"Three cheers to that." Weiss muttered under her breath. Haku was a Trap of the greatest level.

 **Kakashi arched a brow and Obito bit down on his cheek to conceal a chuckle. Team NHKS' second-in-command continued undeterred. "Haku went into the bar that was the location closest to or where victims were last sighted. Disguised, it didn't take long for drinks to be offered to Haku. However, due to how many were willing to buy him drinks, we couldn't isolate a potential suspect."**

 **"And instead you risked giving yourself alcohol poisoning?" Kakashi asked, looking skeptically at Haku. The androgynous boy blinked, his face stone and void of emotions.**

 **"I was never in any danger. I'm fairly familiar with poisons and antidotes. My** _ **mentor**_ **made sure of that."**

"Please no rape of the sexy girl boy." Coco crossed her fingers.

 _ **Keep it up with that attitude and I might just start to like you, kid.**_ **Kakashi thought, while he stuck with his own mask to conceal his true feelings. The Commander looked back at Sasuke and nodded.**

 **"It was around three in the morning Haku was affected by something," Sasuke said. He looked at Kurama. "Kurama noticed an abnormality with Haku's aura flow."**

 **"Sluggish and rapidly weakening. He was drugged by something scentless." Kurama added. The Faunus tilted his head. "That or the sheer amount of bar stench in the air made it impossible to isolate the drug."**

"Most likely the latter, unless it was a pro. Then the former." Blake agreed, getting a few looks. "What?"

 **"And you call my keen eyesight bullshit." Sasuke muttered. Shaking his head, the young archer continued. "At any rate, once Haku was drugged, we waited for him to leave and get abducted."**

"No anal probing the cutie!" Coco cried out.

Velvet just covered her face. Why was her team lead such an embrassment?!

 **"Without identifying the abductor?" Kakashi asked skeptically.**

 **"We figured it would be too risky to try and get visual confirmation on the pickup." Kurama admitted. The Faunus cracked a small smirk. "And luckily for us, but mostly for Haku, there was no sexual intention that threatened his vulnerable state."**

 **"I** _ **will**_ **tell Velvet you said that." Haku deadpanned.**

"Don't tell me." Velvet muttered.

 **Kurama shifted uncomfortably in his seat.**

 _ **Velvet?**_ **Kakashi subtly arched a brow as he scrutinized the Faunus.** _ **Kurama got a serious girlfriend? Ooh, my inner gossip must know more. No, wait, that can come later, Kakashi. Stay focused.**_

"He's like a woman." Nora rolled her eyes. "Typical men."

"What?" Jaune looked confused at that.

 **"Considering that you're all still alive and had made it back in piece along with the missing others, would it be unreasonable to ask that we jump to the real discovery made?" Kakashi asked. The three teens visibly became serious and solemn. Any of the Commander's amusement from most of the story up until now had been lost. "Well?"**

 **"...We discovered that Orochimaru had constructed an underground laboratory where he performed genetic experiments on humans to give them abnormal Faunus-like traits. Bastard already gave himself a** _ **reptilian**_ **make-over." Kurama growled.**

"…Genetic Faunus?" Blake let the words roll off her tongue, honestly unsure what to think of this new information.

"I have so many questions…can Vel get a cotton tail now?"

"Coco!" Velvet shouted.

 **His hand tightened around his staff until his knuckles threatened to break through his skin. "It's several miles east of Kon, between the ruins of the Grasslands and Vacuo's Shame."**

 _ **Between the Grasslands and – Dear god, I thought we had more time! We're not ready for any sort of attack!**_ **Kakashi straightened in his seat and narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Obito, whose lone eye was narrowed and his left hand trembled as it balled into a fist.**

 **"Obito." Addressing his blood brother gained his attention immediately, despite the low volume he used. "Tell Naruto that we're going to be a bit longer than we thought and that his team will find him once they're finished. Then, head to the I.T. Department and send out a flock of birds to get a lay of the land."**

"Because surveillance drones are too expensive!" Weiss cried out in mock tragedy.

"Not all militaries are alike." Pyrrha told her.

"Still, birds? Really?"

"Wonder how much they have to feed them." Jaune hummed in thought.

 **"Took the words right out of my mouth." Obito nodded and stepped out of the room. There was a soft argument on the other side of the doors, likely between Naruto and Obito, which Kakashi mostly ignored. He instead closed his eyes to gather his thoughts.**

 **"Kakashi, what's going on? Where is he taking Naruto?" Sasuke asked. His question unintentionally disrupted Kakashi's thought process. "Why was he even detained when we got here? Why-?"**

 **"Sasuke!" The boy straightened when the Commander addressed him with a firm commanding tone. "Things are going to change very quickly in a very bad way. I need you stop asking questions, I need you to trust me, and right now, I need you to do one thing: Tell. Me. What. Happened."**

 **~Days Ago – Orochimaru's Underground Lair~**

 _ **After following his aura for a few days, Kurama and I found Haku in a holding cell outside the main lab and swiftly subdued the hired grunts that were fitting him with some sort of collar.**_

"Kinky." Coco whistled.

 _ **I think they worked for the Huang family. Once Haku was freed and mostly sober, we ventured through the underground until we came across a metal door.**_

 **"Well, as if this wasn't cliché enough already," Kurama said flatly. He looked at the impromptu team leader and a red brow arched above his Pineley's. "And this belongs to the man you thought could make you stronger?"**

"Oh, ten points to Kurama." Jaune winced.

 **"Kurama, do me a favor?" Sasuke asked while he pulled out Amaterasu and black arcs of aura danced along the blade. He stabbed the sword into the door and sent a shock through the system.**

 **"Depends on the favor." Kurama grinned slyly.**

 **"Shut up."**

"Sounds too easy, make it harder." Ren remarked with a slight grin.

 **Sasuke grunted as he turned the handle of his blade and then pulled Amaterasu from the door. The metal door then creaked open to reveal a dark room. Sasuke looked at his teammates, who looked back at him with bemused faces.**

 **"Well, after you, fearless leader." Kurama offered, gesturing with his hand.**

 **"What's wrong, Scaredy-Fox? Afraid of the dark?" Sasuke shot back.**

 **"Nope." Kurama lowered his sunglasses and the small amount of light in the hallway made his menacing red eyes gain a small glow. "Best perk of Faunus-hood. I have built in night vision."**

Blake and Velvet high fived each other without even looking.

 **"I'm still recovering from being drugged." Haku deadpanned when Sasuke looked at him. The second-in-command rolled his eyes and sheathed Amaterasu, but kept his hand on the hilt.**

 **"Times like this I wish the idiot were here. He makes a great meat shield." Sasuke muttered as he walked into the dark room.**

Weiss snickered. "I agree."

"Hey." Yang glared at her.

Her bae was not a meat shield, he was a meat spear!

 **"So true." Kurama wistfully sighed as he thought back over some of the quick post-prank escapes he and Naruto had made whilst growing up. He looked around and narrowed his eyes. "There's a light switch on the far wall."**

 **"Then you go turn it on, Mr. Night-vision. We're not bumbling around in the dark for your amusement," Sasuke said dryly.**

 **Kurama huffed. "Naruto would've done it."**

 **"Naruto can take a point-blank shot from an anti-tank rifle and then walk it off.**

"Who has an anti-tank rifle?" Yatsuhashi asked in confusion.

 **Considering we don't know what sort of traps are in here, we can't afford any risks." Haku pointed out.**

 **"Killjoy." Kurama grumbled as he made his way over to the switch. "You take pride in killing all my fun? Just put all my fun in camps, why don't you? You freakin' Fun Nazi."**

"What's a Nazi?" Ruby asked, looking right at Weiss.

"How am I supposed to know?"

 **"...What's a Nazi?" Haku asked, looking at Sasuke. The impromptu leader shrugged.**

 **"Some insult Kurama just made up," he said. Sasuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think it's a spin off of douchebag."**

"Oh, so Weiss."

"Ruby!" The white haired girl shrieked.

"Ow." Velvet and Blake grimaced, rubbing their ears.

 **"Has he always made up insults on the fly, or is this something new?"**

 **"Nah, he used to do it all the time. Now he only does when he's somewhat bored. We did have to watch you take free drink after free drink, you know."**

 **"And I had to suffer the vulgar offers from the patrons."**

"He liked it a little, we all do." Coco smiled, playing with her loose lock of hair.

 **"Ah, touché."**

 **The lights flicked on and, after their vision adjusted, the three boys looked around the spacious room. Beakers, bottles and other signs of a mad scientist's presence were spread across multiple tables, with notes and formulas written along the walls. Kurama whistled lowly as he rejoined the group, his hidden eyes locked on a table to the left that had humanoid remains of the fresh sort set across it.**

"Protect me cloak." Ruby whimpered under the red cloth.

"Every horror movie, I swear." Yang rolled her eyes.

"You scarred me!"

 **"I can't even tell if that's Human or Faunus. We got some real Dr. Jyde-ian shit going on here."**

 **"Let's see if we can't find some more clues as to who is behind this and what they're up to," Sasuke said as he lead his team from the chemical lab to a door that had a plaque beside it. The plaque read: 'Sub-Level Two: Experiment Keep' with an arrow below the words pointing down. Opening the door revealed stairs that lit up with a flickering light.**

 **"...Do you guys feel like you've seen this before in a horror movie, or is it just me?" Haku asked.**

"Next a tentacle monster will appear." Yang smirked. "And be very touchy."

"You have to stop watching that garbage." Blake told her.

You stop reading yours, I'll stop watching mine."

Blake hissed at her.

 **"** _ **Eve of the Walkers**_ **," Sasuke said.**

 **"** _ **Slashed – The Cursed Campground**_ **," Kurama said.**

"I love those." Pyrrha smiled brightly. "It's so scary."

Jaune inched away from her.

 **"Thought so." Haku sighed forlornly. He looked at Sasuke. "After you."**

 **"Have I already mentioned I wish that Naruto was here?" Sasuke wondered as he began his trek down the flight of stairs.**

 **"Yes, because he has worth as a Meat Shield." Kurama nodded.**

 **"Not to mention he's not afraid of anything that isn't a ghost or an angry girl," Sasuke said.**

 **"What's wrong, Sasuke? You feeling a little** _ **scared**_ **?" Kurama teased.**

 **"I don't** _ **get**_ **scared." Sasuke scowled. "I get unnerved. And right now, I am** _ **greatly**_ **unnerved."**

"Pussy!"

Blake glared at Coco.

"What? It's not like I said cat. Cool your catnip, Belladonna."

 **"Whatever you say, Fearless Leader."**

 **Sasuke rolled his eyes as they made it down the second flight of stairs and went through the door that awaited them. The light was already on and the room had more cages set off to the side. All of the cells were empty, save the last one. A lone figure sat within it, shivering lightly and muttering to itself. The figure wore a dirty straightjacket that had an equally dirty balaclava attached to it.**

 **"Holy crap, we have a live one."**

"This isn't going to end well." Ren said, eating some popcorn to watch who would die-er, who would something something clearly not death related, next.

 **Sasuke muttered as he and his teammates made their way over to the shivering form. A few steps into the room, however, and a yellow siren started to flash while an alarm blared.**

"It's the police!" Yang said in alarm.

"Fuck the police!" Nora cheered.

Pyrrha whapped her on the head. "Nora! Honestly."

 **Two previously hidden metal doors were exposed as the walls that concealed them slid up. The three teens went on the defensive as vicious snarls and snorts came from the two doors.**

"Grimm?" Jaune asked, looking concerned for the team.

 **"Remember how you said you wished Naruto were here?" Kurama asked as the bolts on the doors released and the metal hinges creaked softly. The animalistic sounds stopped and two pairs of heavy footfalls came to either door.**

 **"Yeah?" Sasuke nodded, his voice low, and his hand tightly gripping Amaterasu's hilt. Kurama shifted Ri Kudo into its spear form and rolled his shoulders while Haku prepared Snowfall's rapid-fire mode.**

 **"I do, too."**

 **"...Oh, crapbaskets." Haku muttered as the two previously hidden prisoners stepped out of their cells. Both were bipedal, and possibly once Human or Faunus, but now they were more animal than they were either of the previous two species.**

 **One was a rhinoceros with a sweat-stained tank top, camouflaged pants and combat boots that strained to remain around his feet. He was heavy-set, but filled with muscle. He snorted and wiped at his head, a good splash of sweat being sent to the floor.**

"…What has science done?!" Blake cried out in horror.

 **"Ohh, man, how long's it been since we been out, Bop?"**

 **The question was aimed at the other animal-man. This one was more like a tusked pig, like a Borbatusk but more human –**

 **"Warthog." Kurama interjected dryly. "He was a fucking warthog, you dumbass."**

"Kurama, you're ruining the story flow." Velvet chided.

 **"Piss off, Kurama. Excuse me for skipping out on Zoology One-Oh-One." Sasuke grunted.**

 **"Don't worry, I know why you didn't go. You could've discovered what real balls looked like and felt the need to compensate."**

 **"Fuck you."**

 **"Fuck** _ **me**_ **? No, fuck** _ **you**_ **!"**

"Fuck both of you! Just shut up and continue!" Coco complained.

 **"Boys!" Kakashi interjected firmly. Kurama and Sasuke looked away, the latter releasing a gentle cough into his fist before he continued recapping the train of events.**

 **He looked like a** _ **warthog**_ **with a short purple mohawk that protruded from his head. A red leather jacket strained to fit around his torso's girth, with matching red sneakers and dark slacks suffering the same fate. Though he also had a fair amount of muscle visible on his form.**

 **"Hell if I know, Rocky." The warthog-man, Bop, pulled out a pair of purple wraparound visor-sunglasses and used them to cover his small eyes. The rhino-man, Rocky, cracked his neck as Bop focused his attention on the three huntsmen in training. "But I think I know who to thank."**

"…I swear I saw a RAPE caption under them." Yang pointed out.

"I saw it too." "Yep." "Same here." "Distrubing."

 **"Uh-oh! I don't recognize you** _ **boys**_ **. You know what that means, Bop?" Rocky grinned and punched his left hand into his right. The knuckles cracked on impact.**

 **"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Snake Man said to turn any intruders back into Dust," Bop said with a laugh and a snort.**

Weiss grimaced. "That was Yang worthy."

"Hey, my puns are not that bad." Yang pouted.

Blake raised a brow. "You got kicked out of that comedy club last week."

"I left with a Yang!"

"…My point made."

 **He ran his hands over his head, straightening his Mohawk up as he did.**

 **"Bringing the Mohawk back, huh? Good for you." Kurama teased with a raised thumb. Haku and Sasuke looked at him, which caused him to shrug. "Idiot's not here, and he'd say something stupid like that."**

"He's not that lame." Yang frowned.

 **"Fair enough." Both Sasuke and Haku conceded. They raised their weapons defensively, Haku falling back to cover from afar.**

 **"Hey, check it, Rocky! They got toys!" Bop grinned. He reached over his shoulder and tapped the handle of a metal bat. "We got toys, too!"**

 **"Yeah, but thanks to the boss, We don't need 'em to kill you little pricks!" Rocky snarled as he charged forward. Kurama met his charge with a rush, his spear raised up at the ready. Rocky ducked under the extended polearm and buried his shoulder into Kurama's gut.**

"Oh." Yatsuhashi whined. "Should've played more Griff Ball, Kurama. Would've seen that coming."

 **The Faunus was driven back first through the rock wall.**

 **Sasuke and Haku shared a glance before they looked at Bop. The warthog-man rolled his head and then held his hands up, beckoning them.**

 **"Yeah, no." A twist of the wrist and Sasuke held Amaterasu in its bow form. "Frostbite!"**

 **"Right!" Haku nodded and stepped back into a mirror. Bop snarled.**

 **"Chicken shit-little-Hey! Careful with that, punk! You could've hit me!" The warthog snorted as he avoided an arrow fired his way.**

"Get that talking bacon! Fry him up good!" Nora coached.

 **Sasuke smirked and knocked back another arrow. "That's the idea, dipshit."**

 **"Oh, it's on now." Bop snarled and stamped his foot before he charged. Sasuke smirked and his arrow sparked with black lightning. The arrow was released just as Bop jumped up with his left arm raised a good foot away from Sasuke.**

 **In the recently made room, a dazed Kurama had been pulled onto Rocky's massive shoulders in a reverse fireman's carry. The rhino-man had wrapped his arms over one of Kurama's legs and around the Faunus' neck. Rocky pulled his arms in, thus overexerting Kurama's spine.**

"No! He's going Blight on!" Jaune gasped. "Just like what he did to Ratman."

 **The Faunus reacted accordingly with a drawn out cry of pain.**

 **"Heh! Little good that Faunus flexibility does for ya, eh freak?"**

"Uh, pot meet kettle." Weiss pointed out.

Blake frowned. "Not now, Weiss."

 **Rocky jeered as he jumped around in a circle, driving his shoulders into Kurama's spine and bruising the areas he had his arms wrapped around.**

 **It was to this sight that Haku popped out of his ice mirror. The former dark hunter apprentice silently made his way to where Ri Kudo had been discarded. He picked the spear up and whistled sharply to get Rocky's attention. The Rhino-man stopped his abuse of the Faunus, but did not let him go. Instead, he grinned and pulled down on Kurama, who groaned at his back's pain.**

 **"Hey, cutie. Why not ditch the zero and get with the hero?" Rocky asked. Haku simply smiled and closed his eyes.**

 **"Because for one, I'm a boy." Rocky's grin didn't change in the slightest.**

"Rape, right there. Again." Yang pointed out.

"Can we please get away from such a filthy topic?" Pyrrha frowned.

 **"And two, I don't like it when others hurt my friends."**

 **"What this?" Rocky pulled again and Kurama's back let out a soft, but audible, pop.**

"Here it comes…" Jaune was biting his nails in worry.

 **"This isn't anything compared to what I'm gonna do next!"**

 **"I figured as much." Haku sighed. Quick as a whip, Haku spun Ri Kudo around in his hand and threw it at Rocky. The spear stabbed through Rocky's thigh and elicited a roar of pain from the rhino-man's mouth. Haku then pulled Snowfall up and whispered a single word.**

 **"Frostbite."**

 **Kurama, more than aware of the world around him, took advantage of Rocky's injury and pulled the arm around his throat up to his mouth. With a ferocity seen only in a cornered animal, he quickly sunk his teeth as deep into the rhino's forearm as he could get.**

Ruby looked at Blake. "You don't bite right."

"No, Ruby."

"Oh good."

"Only when you want her to!" Yang laughed.

Blake turned a furious red color in the face at that.

 **It was enough to force the rhino-man to release him in the form of a throw. Kurama landed in a roll and quickly righted himself. He spat the chunk of flesh he'd ripped out and grimaced.**

 **"Barely broke through the fucker's hide, let alone his aura." Kurama growled as he rubbed at his mouth with the back of his hand.**

"He should brush after chewing on that." Nora pointed.

"I think he's preoccupied, Nora." Ren told you."

"Doesn't mean he can't focus on good hygiene! Yeesh."

 **"I will do the rest." Haku pulled the trigger of his weapon and held it down, the semi-automatic going full out as dust needles fired in bursts of six. The strangely colored gems quickly and effectively pierced through Rocky's torso. This continued until Snowfall was emptied entirely.**

 **"Y-You think...You think this will...Stop me?! D-Don't you know...what I am!?" Rocky snarled. He pulled Kurama's spear from his thigh and discarded it to the side. The rhino-man began a weak limp forward, his body's movements restricted by the needles that pierced his skin. "I'm a juggernaut, bitch!"**

 **"God, that line sounds so stupid. Fitting, really." Kurama smirked as he got to his feet.**

"Bad guys need to get their own writers I think." Ruby agreed.

"Torchwick had some goodies." Yang pointed.

"Do not being up bowler hat man!"

 **"Do it."**

 **Haku nodded and released the trigger he still had pulled down. The needles imbedded throughout Rocky's body started to pulse and glow, which drew the bipedal rhinoceros to a pause. He looked down as well as he could at the needles.**

 **"What the hell?! What's-What're you-What're you doing!?"**

 **"Frostbite, dipshit. First it hurts like a motherfucker, then you'll feel nothing." Kurama grimaced and crossed his arms while Haku watched impassively. The Fox Faunus' tail flicked in annoyance. "Before the boom, tell me this: Were you Human or Faunus before the experiments done on you?"**

 **Rocky sneered for a moment before he grinned. "You think I'll tell you? You think** _ **I'll**_ **tell** _ **you**_ **!? I ain't the brightest crayon in the drawer, but I'm not stupid enough to tell you jack shit, you filthy animal!"**

"Human." Blake said dryly.

 **"I'd feel insulted, if you weren't basically the toy of a man with the fetish for anthropomorphic animals." Kurama deadpanned. He lifted a hand up to shield his eyes as the needles burst with a massive explosion.**

"He did a Ruby, but in combat." Jaune commented.

"Let it die!" Ruby begged.

 **After the smoke cleared, Kurama looked at Haku in disapproval. "Ice dust...Really?"**

 **"We're in an enclosed space, I wasn't about to use the explosive Dust."**

"Did that once, did not work out." Coco sheepishly chuckled.

"Fox was scarred ever since."

Coco glared at the innocent smiling Velvet.

"Don't make me cook that cotton tail of yours, Vel."

 **"Yeah, but...Really?"**

 **"...Shut up." Haku grumbled as he stalked out past the frozen form of Rocky. Kurama followed him and plucked his spear from the ground as he walked by it. The Faunus paused to soak in the frozen form of the strange experiment.**

 **"...If you really tried, I'm sure one day you'd make a great masseuse," Kurama said to his frozen foe. He walked out of the room and arched a brow while he sniffed the air. "What smells like charred dumpster bacon?"**

Yatsuhashi frowned. "A waste of bacon is a sin."

"Dumpster bacon?" Jaune asked him.

"A. Sin."

 **"Better question, how do you know what that smells like?" Sasuke asked flatly from where he stood beside the cell that held the dirty prisoner.**

 **"Touché, douche bag." Kurama sniped with a smirk as he shifted Ri Kudo back to its staff form. The three teens turned their attention to the captured man and frowned. Kurama spoke next, his arms crossed. "So, what do we do with him?"**

 **"To make a long story short, we busted the prisoner out and hightailed it back here," Sasuke said. He watched his former teacher with narrowed eyes, the man across from him betrayed nothing, not that he ever did. If anything, Kakashi looked...** _ **disappointed**_ **.**

 **"...That's it? That's how you decide to end your debriefing?" Kakashi huffed and crossed his arms. "How anticlimactic.**

"I know, at least toss in an explosion or something? Geez." Yang complained.

 **If I were anymore a stickler for rules and regulations, I'd ask for written accounts in triplicate."**

 **"But then you'd have to read all of the accounts, three times for each copy," Kurama said with a sly grin.**

"Boo! Regulations stink!" Ruby jeered.

"No they don't, Ruby." Weiss chided her.

"I disagree."

"…Deep breath Weiss, deep breath."

 **"Exactly! Which is why I could give two shits about written reports." Kakashi nodded sagely.**

Weiss just messaged her temples. "And this is the commanding officer of a whole village-state? Why?"

 **He sat back and pulled his favorite book out. He cracked it open and waved the three boys off. "Good job! Go find your team leader and enjoy the rest of the day and tomorrow. The day after, I'll have something else for you."**

 **"By your leave,** _ **Commander**_ **." Sasuke grumbled sourly as he got up and walked out. Kurama snickered while Haku kept a stoic face up, both nodding before they left the room.**

 **As soon as the door shut, Kakashi looked up from his book. There was a glisten in his eye, a small gleam of pride radiating from his form.**

 _ **Enjoy the peace while it lasts, boys. For it won't last long.**_

"Oooh, foreshadowing~" Jaune said in a mysterious tone, wiggling his fingers.

 **Of all the places Kurama, Haku and Sasuke could've found Naruto at, they certainly didn't expect to find him at a small, quaint tavern whose name had long since faded off the building, but started with an 'F'. The whiskered blond was in the midst of entertaining a few of the regular patrons and the barkeep with tales of Beacon Academy, only stopping when he spotted his team approaching. He then left the bar with a few good-natured jabs sent at him on account of his cliffhanger, before he met up with his team at a small table in the middle of the tavern.**

 **"Before we start anything, just know that Yang wishes you all the sorest of black eyes," Naruto said cheerfully,**

Yang laughed and cheered. "Deck 'em!"

 **the flush on his face showing he'd already had more than enough drinks to get him tipsy. He whistled at the passing waitress and raised his hand. "Bring round four mugs of the strong stuff, an' keep it coming!"**

 **"Yes, sir!" The woman laughed as she filled the order. Naruto then turned to his surprised teammates and raised a brow.**

 **"What?"**

 **"Why are you in a rush to kill your liver?" Kurama asked bluntly. Naruto barked out a laugh, and slammed his hand on the table.**

 **"Ah, that's a good one." Naruto wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm not drinkin' all of it! We're drinkin'! Together! To celebrate the Pervy Old Toad!"**

"Oh so that's why he's murdering his liver." Ruby knitted her brow. "Can it be called murder? Or is it more suicide?"

"Let's not get into it." Pyrrha told her kindly.

 **A rousing cheer and raised glasses echoed in the bar following the blond's toast.**

 **"Naruto, I think you're supposed to drink yourself blind** _ **before**_ **you sob yourself unconscious on a girl's shoulder," Sasuke said dryly.**

"Hey duckie, I'm not there. Don't give drunk Naruto ideas!" Yang glared at the pretty boy.

 **Naruto scoffed at him and gave him the bird.**

 **"First of all,** _ **Ass**_ **, uncalled for! Secondly, like I** _ **said**_ **, we're** _ **celebrating**_ **the Pervy Old Toad. Not mourning. I did that already, and it's not fun," Naruto said with a small frown. He gained a grin as the tavern girl, who was blessed with a chest and a mighty booty, set the drinks before them. Naruto put a lien card on the table. "Thanks! Get yourself a drink or save it for another day."**

 **"Sure thing, cutie." The girl winked as she slipped the card into her cleavage before she walked away with a sway in her step.**

"Whore!"

"Yang she works at a bar." Blake told her dryly.

"Slut!"

"…There is no pleasing you."

 **Naruto paid it no mind, but Haku and Sasuke stared dead on at the action and then looked at the lightly flushed blond. Kurama arched a brow.**

 **"...Okay, what did you do to make her so enthralled?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked at his second-in-command as if he'd whipped out a trout and slapped the whiskered boy with it.**

 **"Wha-? Dude, I** _ **have**_ **a girlfriend! And unlike your stupidly sexy ass, I am happy with just my Yangel. Even if you guys stole me away for some bullshit reason," Naruto said, grumbling the last bit to himself as he picked up the new mug and sipped down the drink. He put the mug down on the table and grinned. "Ahh, that hits the spot."**

 **"So what brought up the sudden urge to celebrate Jiraiya?" Kurama asked, deciding to ignore the outraged-slash-jealous-slash-annoyed glare Sasuke was sending Naruto's way. "What, were you named his heir to lead a foreign land's military might?"**

"Hit the nail on the head." Coco whistled, her glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose.

"Ninja people." Blake grinned at Weiss.

"I refuse to take your bait, Kitty."

"…We agreed to never call me that."

 **"...Whoa, Kurama are you Puh-psy-chick?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide.**

"He is super wasted." Yang frowned. "I fear someone may take advantage of that."

"He worry too much." Blake rolled her eyes.

 **"...Are you telling us that Jiraiya was the leader of a foreign land?"**

 **"...I...don't know. Pretty sure I'm not allowed to, especially since I'm leaving tomorrow for training." Naruto squinted his eyes as the look in his eye darkened. The memory of Sun's ass for a grandfather calling him out was fresh in his mind. He looked up from the mug in his hands at Haku when the boy suddenly started to cough. "You okay, Haku?"**

 **"I think I just drank liquid fire!" The androgynous boy rasped out between coughs. He raised his hand and pointed at his mug. "Something not as strong, please!"**

 **"Pussy." Kurama, Naruto, and Sasuke scoffed before they each took a swig of their drinks. Kurama and Sasuke's eyes shot wide and they both suffered the same fate as their girlish-featured-friend. Naruto scowled around at his friends.**

 **"Seriously? Ugh, you guys are so going to be screwed when I leave."**

 **"Where-" Sasuke covered his mouth with a fist and then pounded his chest while he forced back the tears that bit at his eyes. Damn, that** _ **was**_ **liquid fire! "Where are you going?"**

"Details!" Yang demanded.

"But you know." Weiss said.

"I still demand more details."

"…You have a possessive problem with your fictional boyfriend."

"He's not fiction!"

"In your deluded fantasies." Weiss said smugly.

"No, in my fantasies there's-" Yang cut herself off. "I'll, uh, save those for a more mature audience."

Ruby just looked at her in confusion.

 **"To a galaxy far, far away, a long time ago..." Naruto said with wiggling fingers for added 'mystical' effect.**

 **"You said it wrong again." Kurama deadpanned.**

 **"Fuck you and your stupid sci-fi!" Naruto spat out with his tongue extended. "You only like** _ **Galactic Conflict**_ **because it promoted Faunus to more than secondary character roles!"**

 **"Unlike your stupid racist** _ **Conquest of Dominion**_ **series!"**

 **"You take that back!** _ **Conquest of Dominion**_ **is awesome!"**

 **"And racist!"**

"Everything these days are racist." Blake bluntly said.

"Pessimist." Weiss told her.

Blake gave her a sharp look, but said nothing else.

It would spoil the episode.

 **"Well no shit!" Naruto snorted. "Humanity** _ **sucked**_ **when it came to that stuff! Totally fucked Faunus over! But that's not the focus of the series!"**

 **"No just politics, violence and fucking!" Kurama snapped. He took another drink and shook his head. He would not succumb to the burn. "Although, it's still way better than the crap perv-boy reads."**

 **"If you just read it-!"**

 **"I did, and it helped me get through my preteens!"**

 **"I-It is** _ **not**_ **juvenile!"**

 **"Just horrendously immature."**

 **"He's got a point there."**

 **"I thought we were talking about the idiot leaving! Why are we bashing on my books!?"**

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Because they are utterly appalling."

 **"Because that's way more fun," Haku said with a cheeky smile. He thanked the busty girl as she replaced his drink and leered at her departure. He returned his attention to the table when she disappeared around the corner.**

"Huh, so he's a butt guy." Yang hummed, looking at Blake.

"What? Why are you staring?"

"Nothing."

 **"And Naruto's not leaving for good, right?"**

 **"No, man, like a week. Maybe two. Tops." Naruto nodded firmly.**

 **"There, see?" Haku smiled at Sasuke, who scowled.**

 **"...Fine...But no more ragging on my books."**

 **"Not our fault you're a perv with a librarian fetish."**

"Goodwitch's probably missing a bra." Coco said slyly.

"He has no taste." Jaune shuddered.

 **"Kurama!"**

 **"What? It's not."**

 **The four broke down into a heated debate over what was and was not good taste in literature, all the while sending good-natured barbs at one another. The next day would mean the brief separation of Team NHKS once more. For now, however, they'd enjoy each other's company and cement the strength of their bonds with one another.**

 **OMAKE: CHIBI NHKS – A Fairly Entertaining Tale**

"Big heads little bodies!" Ruby squealed. "I want to collect them all!"

"Oh dear lord, no!" Yang shuddered. The Beanie Munchkins were bad enough!

 **"Okay, you sure you're up to this, Haku?" A flushed short and stocky Naruto asked. Beside him, an equally plastered Kurama sat, holding his mug while grinning eagerly.**

 **"I** _ **am**_ **Vacoan, Naruto. Of course I'm up for this." Haku scoffed, slightly insulted by the insinuation. "It's not just a Kon thing. Every Vacoan does this."**

 **"Damn straight we do! Because we're not just the outcasts of the world, we're the best that Remnant has to offer!" Kurama cheered.**

"Meh." Said Coco.

"I think their good." Yang told her.

"That's because you're banging one."

Velvet opened her mouth.

"And that's because you're crushing on one."

The rabbit Faunus shut her mouth.

 **Sasuke kicked his shin under the table.**

 **"Shut up! Lets do this, and start –** _ **in time**_ **!" the onyx eyed boy glared at his team leader, who waved him off.**

 **"Yeah, yeah. Ready?" Naruto asked, grinning. The three boys nodded and waited for a moment before they began to thump their mugs to the table. The tavern quieted and the boys let out a unified chorus.**

"Why is there so much singing?" Weiss complained. "They're not that good."

"Lies!" Nora declared.

"I could do better."

 **"Oh, you can search far and wide, you can drink the whole world dry! But you'll never find a beer so brown as the one we drink in our hometown!"**

"Ew?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"Just roll with it." Yang patted her head.

 **The patrons cheered their drinks as the four boys climbed atop their chairs and continued their drunk-induced song. The four pointed at nearby patrons as they continued with the next line.**

 **"You can keep your fancy ales, you can drink 'em by the flagon, but the only brew for the brave and tru-u-ue, comes from the Grimm Dragon!"**

"Grimm Dragon? That just sounds silly." Ruby snorted a giggle.

 **They finished their lines and knocked mugs before they downed their drinks. Naruto hopped over to stand atop the bar and gained the attention of the crowd. He stomped his foot in rhythm that their audience soon matched with claps, stomps or bangs of their own, before he began to sing.**

"Now we got bar shanties." Jaune said.

"But they aren't working." Ren told him.

"They're working for their audience!"

"…Okay?"

 **"** _ **Hey, ho, to the bottle I go, to heal my heart and drown my woe! Rain may fall and wind may blow, but there still be-e-e many miles to go!**_ **"**

 **The tavern's occupants cheered as Naruto took a swig of his mug. Kurama hopped over to the bar to join Naruto, throwing his arm over the blond's shoulder.**

 **"** _ **Sweet as the sound of the pouring rain, and the stream that falls from the hills to plain! Better than rain or rippling brook, is a mug of beer inside this Kook!**_ **"**

"Can we just fast forward?" Weiss yawned.

"But their dancing on the bar! It's neat." Ruby pouted.

Weiss thumbed to the buxom blonde. "Yang could do that too and get a better reaction from the patrons."

Yang nodded, it was true, but for totally different reasons.

 **Kurama finished his line and knocked his mug with Naruto's before he downed a swig of his own. Sasuke climbed atop their table and steadied himself before he continued.**

 **"** _ **Strange and dark is the world outside, but in the pub we've naught to hide! With lots of ale and barley wine, this evenin' is surpassin' fine!**_ **"**

 **Those with drinks in hands all cheered at Sasuke's lines, Naruto and Kurama included, as the last Uchiha downed his drink with a heavy gulp. Haku climbed atop a neighbor's table and grinned.**

 **"** _ **Harvest's in and cold without, an' Huntsmen strong are Huntsmen stout! Naught to fear and naught to think, for Huntsmen now-w-w have ale to drink!**_ **"**

"What about huntswomen?" Weiss frowned.

"Stop being such a fem Nazi." Yang shook her head.

"We don't even know what that is!"

"It just felt right."

 **The tavern roared in approval as Haku finished his line. The compact hero took a long swig of his drink before the whole crowd joined in to finish off the tavern song.**

 **"** _ **The Sunshine lays right down to sleep,**_

 _ **To slumber long and slumber deep!**_

 _ **Hushed be Hunter, lass and lad,**_

 _ **With faces plump and faces glad!**_

 _ **A land of peace and a small dirt hole,**_

 _ **And a pouch o' Dust for us to roll!**_

 _ **Never Falter! Never Fear!**_

 _ **For Vacuo-o-o will always be here!**_ **"**

Everyone gave a polite clap, Jaune, Yang and Nora clapping a bit more loudly.

"Now that was a good song, it reminded me of home." Jaune smiled fondly.


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **RWBY**_ **.**

 **Reading: Veritas Aequitas**

 **XXXVIII: Gonna Need A Montage**

"Whoo! Back to our main course!" Yang cheered as everyone was back, along with their two new additions.

"Is this the one where I'm…"

"Yes." Blake smirked at Sun as Neptune snickered.

 **The tower of Beacon Academy stood tall and proud, it's pure exterior reflected the bright sunlight of the day. Students of Vale and their guests were all eager to lose themselves in the beautiful day. Especially since it was the weekend and students were granted reprieve from vast amounts of homework in lieu of the upcoming Vytal Festival.**

 **However, not all were thrilled to have such a day.**

 **"I'm. So. Bored!" Nora Valkyrie groaned from where she sat upside down on her best friend's bed. Ren hummed and turned the page of his book.**

 **"You could always go join Pyrrha and Jaune in their training," he suggested.**

 **"While I** _ **love**_ **smacking Jaune around like a punching bag,**

"Hey!" Jaune glared at Nora, who shrugged in return.

"It's true."

 **I can't break bring myself to break up the OTP." Nora nodded firmly as she crossed her arms. "Pyrrha has to make a move, and she** _ **won't**_ **do that with witnesses."**

Pyrrha turned a pretty shade of red as Jaune made sputtering noises.

"What?!"

"Nothing! Moving along!" Pyrrha said in a squeak, keeping her gaze from Jaune's.

 **"I don't think she'll be able to do that** _ **without**_ **witnesses." Ren deadpanned. He licked the tip of his finger and turned another page. "Then why not go seek out Team RWBY or their friends from Mistral?"**

 **"They're all training..." Nora groaned. She flipped backwards off the bed and landed on her feet to stand in front of Ren with her hands on her hips. "Although, Ruby's said that Yang's seemed a bit...off. Maybe you should cheer her up with some pancakes!"**

 **Ren looked up from his book and stared at the grinning girl dryly.**

 **"Nora. I'm not making anymore pancakes until** _ **tomorrow**_ **." His words made the orange-haired girl grovel at his feet.**

"You monster…can't you see that poor girl is starving!" Nora pointed out.

"Hm." Ren simply hummed.

 **"But** _ **why!?**_ **Why have you forsaken me the food of the gods!?" Nora wailed as she nuzzled her head against her best friend's legs. Ren paused and was about to reply when he heard a faint boom. Ren looked towards the window with furrowed brows.**

 **"What is that?" He wondered, his pink eyes squinted as he tried to determine what the distant object he spotted. Nora popped up beside him from where she groveled and squinted her eyes. Her smile returned brightly.**

 **"I think it's a Bulkhead!"**

"No, it's bird!" Velvet pointed out.

"Birdy no!"

 **"No, those would be larger, even from this distance. Perhaps it's just a bird."**

"See?" Velvet smiled brightly.

Coco cooed at her, pinching her cheek. "That's just cute how smug you can be."

 **Ren mused. He went to his desk and began to dig around in the drawer for his binoculars. He returned with the item in hand and held them up to his eyes. "I wonder what type it is."**

 **"It's getting closer! It's** _ **got**_ **to be a Bulkhead." Nora pointed out smugly.**

 **Ren looked at her dryly before he resumed his examination. His brow furrowed as the distant object continued to get larger. Almost as if it was moving towards them. But that's ludicrous! What would fly towards Beacon knowing that Beacon was there, risking the damage to itself and the school?**

 **"...I don't think it's either..." Ren mused. "In fact...I think...It's a..."**

 **"A what? A** _ **what**_ **!? The suspense is killing me, Ren!" Nora cried out as she grabbed her friend by his arm and shook him. "Tell me what it is already! Is it a Bulkhead?! A bird!? What is it!? Speak boy!"**

 **"I think ...it's a bowl."**

"It was at this moment, Nora fucked up." Yang shook her head in pity.

"I what?"

 **"...That's just silly!" Nora pushed her friend away with a snort. "Come on, what would a** _ **bowl**_ **be doing flying towards** _ **Beacon**_ **?"**

 **Before Ren could answer her, the Unidentified Flying Object smashed through the window and brained Nora in the side of her head. Noodles and broth splattered onto the floor and in Nora's hair.**

"…That bastard!" Nora raged, jumping up and down in her seat. "Pancakes rule over ramen!"

 **Ren set his binoculars down and looked at his dazed friend with amusement.**

 **"Nora," he said. "I think Naruto disagrees with you."**

"Like I said, fucked up."

Nora flipped Yang off.

She'd have her revenge for this slight, this Nora swore!

 **Moments earlier, Naruto was giddily rushing past the people who inhabited his deceased godfather's mountain. Behind him, calmly followed a slightly smiling Fukasaku. The old sage received nods and smiles from those he passed. Oh, they smiled and nodded at Naruto as well, but he was far too focused on his destination to return the pleasantries as he normally would.**

 **Fukasaku found the sight amusing, recalling Minato's and even** _ **Jiraiya's**_ **own rush to eat after they first touched Natural Energy. Like his godfather, Jiraiya, and his father, Minato, Naruto was someone who did not quit. Take small breaks in order to think about the problem, maybe, but he never once quit. The old sage was proud of his progress and impressed by the child of Minato and Kushina. Naruto had dove right into the first stage of Sage Training as soon as he arrived, but any headway seemed to hit a wall once the first step began.**

 **It was expected, of course, but Fukasaku initially underestimated just how difficult Naruto found the first step. He failed to realize that his student was a boy filled to the absolute** _ **brim**_ **with energy.**

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Blake cut her off.

"You're going to make a sex joke."

"…Why did you do that? It was a good one! And now it's ruined." Yang pouted, crossing her arms in a huff.

 **Naruto expected to be asked to perform impossible tasks, such as moving a mountain or swimming in a rampaging river. He'd even brought up the thought of defeating massive toads in hand-to-hand combat, which had earned him an odd look, a firm blow to the head and a chiding insult.**

 **Not once did the thought that he'd be asked to** _ **meditate**_ **ever cross the son of Minato's mind.**

 **The very least that Fukasaku was grateful for, was that Naruto's energy was matched in spades by his headstrong determination. He** _ **refused**_ **to take any breaks until he made some sort of advancement. Naruto struggled for** _ **days**_ **to clear his mind of any wayward thought, to keep** _ **absolutely**_ **still and become one with Remnant. The slightest distraction, a sound in the distance or nearby, caused him to break from any focus he might have had and lose whatever connection there might have been.**

 **It was frustrating for both of them, as it only lengthened what was supposed to be the 'easy' first step.**

 **Until an hour ago, that is, when Naruto finally managed to form a link with Remnant.**

 **Fukasaku felt as though a weight had fallen off of his shoulders. Finally, they could move onto the next stage: Balance. Now that a connection was made, Naruto would have to find the perfect amount of energy he could take from Remnant before it consumed him.**

"Which is bad, we don't want anything bad to happen to Bae. If it does frog-like man, you die." Yang said as if it was plain as day.

Ruby was shivering, Yang was super scary when she got like this.

 **Fukasaku gripped his staff tightly and chuckled at memories of his previous two students. Oh, the hotheaded son of Minato and Kushina wouldn't enjoy this next exercise in the slightest. Jiraiya sure as hell didn't.**

 **Naruto was oblivious to his teacher's amusement, already seated at the stand that served Oum's glorious gift to Remnant and inhaling his second bowl like a starved man. The blond's bowl was stacked atop the previous one, and he banged his fist on the counter while he struggled momentarily to swallow the lump in his throat. A good thwack to the back freed his passageway and Naruto sighed in relief.**

 **"Stubborn kid, how can you learn to be a Sage if you don't learn to chew your food?" The chef asked in bemusement.**

"How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" Sun declared in a singsong tone.

 **He was another old fellow, with fading blond hair and a braided moustache. His build was tall and strong, but he had a limp in his step as he returned to his kitchen, courtesy of the peg that acted in place of his right foot.**

 **"Hehehe, I can't help myself! This is good stuff! Borderline Ichiraku!" Naruto praised the cook's work. He clapped his hands together, holding them over his head. "Can I have another?"**

 **The chef leveled him with a hard look before he let out a belly-shaking laugh.**

 **"Sure thing, kid! Just try to remember to chew. It won't do me any good to have the next Sage die on my stool because he couldn't swallow his noodles," the chef said.**

"That's foreboding, I don't like it!" Yang snarled.

"She is way too defensive about this fictional guy." Sun whispered to Blake, who nodded in agreement.

 **He turned around to ready another bowl. "Had I known you'd need more than two bowls, I wouldn't have let my trainee go on break. Going to be a couple of minutes."**

 **"That's fine. I've got plenty of time," Naruto said with a shrug. He looked over at Fukasaku with an unsure smile. "Right?"**

 **"..." Fukasaku leveled him with a stare and pursed lips, his eyes narrowed in thought. Finally, after what felt like forever, he let out a sigh and nodded. "You may have the day. We shall continue tomorrow, early."**

 **"Awesome!" Naruto whooped as Fukasaku walked away. He then patted at his pockets and paled. "Oh no... My wallet is back at the temple."**

 **He slumped forward and his head slammed into the counter with a loud thud.**

 **"Aw, man...There goes Ramen day..." Naruto muttered sourly.**

"It's okay, Bae. It'd go to your ass anyway. And not in the good tight way." Yang tried to console.

"That's just disturbing to comment on." Pyrrha said.

"Says you."

 **He folded his arms under his chin and pouted slightly as he started a thousand yard stare.** _ **Not to mention that because of the Mountain's location, my Scroll has no connection whatsoever. Yeah, the occasional news report gets through, but I can't make a call.**_

 **"I got'cha covered, handsome."**

The hairs on the back of Yang's neck stood up.

 **Naruto looked to his left to find a girl setting a few cards of lien on the counter. He had to do a double take and his jaw popped open. He initially mistook her for his girlfriend,**

"Say WHAT?!" Yang snapped, the table in front of her shatters with snacks flying.

"Oh no! It's the end of the world!" Ruby shrieked and dove for cover.

 **since she was a beautiful buxom blonde and had some noticeable muscle on her.**

 **Unlike Yang, however, the girl had most of her hair cut short (save for the two bangs falling past her shoulders that framed her face) and had two rounded off cat ears atop her head.**

"It's Faunus Yang." Nora gasped.

 **A white scarf wrapped around her neck and in cooperation with the black tube top, drew attention to her noticeable cleavage. Long baggy pants and combat boots covered her legs and feet, while fingerless gloves protected her hands, and golden wrist-lets with three bone-white ridges protected a portion of her arm.**

 **"Like what you see, Tiger?" The girl asked, giving him a wide, toothy grin. Naruto blinked and shook himself out of the daze her golden eyes had put him in.**

"It's as if you and Yang fused, only her personality won out." Sun whistled at the hottie on screen.

Blake's elbow jabbed him in the side. "Watch it, buster."

"It's a compliment!"

"Must. Destroy." Yang muttered as her eye twitched in rage.

Ruby poked her head out from under the sofa. "Can I come out now? Is it safe?"

Weiss pointed to the heavily breathing Yang.

"Nope!"

 **A sheepish smile crossed his face.**

 **"Well, it's not** _ **un**_ **pleasant, but sadly, I'm spoken for." The girl's grin didn't lessen in the slightest.**

"Skankasuarus rex!"

 **"If they-" "** _ **She**_ **." Naruto interjected firmly. His exploits with the same sex were thus far unknown to the mountain and he didn't want any rumors to go around his age mill if he could stop it. While Sun probably wouldn't care,**

"I kinda do." Sun objected.

 **Sasuke would and Kurama would bury them all with blackmail if it happened.**

 **"If** _ **she**_ **really likes it, she would put a ring on it." The girl pointed out as she claimed the stool next to his. "Besides, it's not like we're going steady. You think you're hot stuff because I gave you a pet name, Tiger?"**

 **"It's very misleading." Naruto deadpanned.**

"It is, now stop cutting in on my turf." The blonde bombshell snarled.

 **"Can't help it, it's in my nature. Name's Leone Pryde," the girl said with a bright grin on her face. She offered her hand and Naruto cautiously took it.**

 **"Naruto Uzumaki." The blondes' hands shook once before the girl propped her head up by digging her fist into her cheek.**

 **"Mm, sounds fishy. I don't like that." Leone muttered with pursed lips. She smirked. "I like Tiger more. Suits you better."**

 **"These are scars." Naruto pointed at his whisker marks with a bitter smile. "Not birthmarks."**

"Mine."

 **"They're sexy whatever they are.**

"Bitch you walk off screen right now, or so help me!" Yang snarled at the screen.

"She's going to punch another one, isn't she?" Pyrrha sighed tiredly.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake nodded.

"How many is that so far?" Nora asked while counting on her fingers.

"Seven." Ren informed her.

"Oh! Right."

 **And you've got the whole orange and black thing going for you," Leone said with a smile that lasted for all of a second. Her pupils suddenly dilated into slits and she let out a low growl while her ears turned back. As soon as the full bowl of ramen was set before her, she took it in one hand and turned to fling it off into the air.**

 **"Did...Did you just** _ **throw**_ **a bowl of Ramen?" Naruto asked, horrified. He was momentarily distracted by the action his fellow blonde took, so much so that he almost missed her reaching to take** _ **his**_ **bowl of ramen. Almost. Naruto defended his meal with an angered snarl, curled around it protectively. He would not let this Ramen defiler ruin his beloved meal!**

"Yes Bae, murder her! No one will know!"

"We would." Neptune told her.

"No one important would know."

"…Ow. T-That really stung." Neptune's jaw hung open at that.

 **"Someone had the gall to say some other food was** _ **better**_ **than Ramen. They had to be educated otherwise." Leone snorted.**

"…Bitch!" Nora gapped.

 **And with those words, any potential amnesty between the two was gone.**

 **"Oh, that makes sense. I wonder who would be stupid enough to speak such blasphemy-** _ **Nora**_ **! Of course!" Naruto declared as he stacked his now empty third bowl atop the previous two. He scowled and glared at the counter while Leone paid for two more bowls with a couple more cards of lien.**

 **"That your girlfriend's name?" Leone asked curiously.**

Nora let out a laugh. "He wishes!"

Yang's fingers twitched at that.

 **Naruto shook his head.**

 **"Nah, Nora's a friend from Beacon. She's got an obsession with pancakes for some reason." They both snorted at the absurdity of it**

"May the Pan curse thee both!" Nora declared their heathenism.

 **before they dove face-first into the bowls set before them. When they finished and pushed their bowls aside, Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "Must've been dropped on the head at the breakfast table or something."**

 **"Poor girl." Leone sighed. "I'll have to kill her so she doesn't dishonor the Ramen anymore than she already has."**

Nora brought out her hammer. "Bring it, sister!"

"Do it Nora, kill her dead!" Yang cheered her own.

"Can we not try and plot murder?" Ren asked softly.

"I do it all the time." Weiss shrugged.

Ruby's eyes widened. "That explains so much."

 **"Yeah-Er, wait, no. Don't do that. She's wrong about what is the Heavenly Food, but it is our duty as Ramen-tics that we convert her to our side. Hell, I even started to get Yang into the glory that is Ramen. Sly girl seduced me with it more than once..." Naruto drifted off with a smile on his face as he became lost in her memories.**

 **Leone arched a brow.**

 **"I take it this Yang is your poor girlfriend, then?" she asked, overly casually.**

"Poor?!"

 **"Yeah...Hey, Yang's not a poor girlfriend-!" Naruto's annoyed defense was cut short by the amused smirk sent his way. He froze in his seat when a fine fingernail gently stroked over his whisker mark.**

"She did not-!"

"She did, now shut up." Blake glared at Yang. "I swear, you need therapy."

"Ren can pencil her in, he's a great listener." Nora patted her friend on the shoulder.

Ren just had a pained look on his face.

 **"Like I said, if she likes it, she should put a ring on it, Tiger." Leone purred softly as she leaned into Naruto's space. She grinned and began actively petting the marks, watching Naruto's eyes become half-lidded by the affectionate touches. "That, or collar you and chain you up in her backyard. Or lock you in a room until she got your bun in her oven."**

"I'm sure I've tried." Yang said in defense to her other.

"Woof." Nora simply replied to that, grinning broadly.

Blake glared at her for the noise.

"I'm sure my other doesn't want to be an aunt yet." Ruby highly disagreed.

 **"Don't...want to be...a parent...oh god, please stop..." Naruto whimpered at the gentle touches being applied to his scars. He was sensitive there, something that Yang has thankfully managed to** _ **not**_ **figure out yet.**

Yang grumbled and pouted over this.

 **His head turned into Leone's hand and his eyes drifted shut while pleasurable tingles went down his spine. He leaned further out of his seat to follow the touches until her hand swiftly pulled away and he plummeted to the ground.**

 **"All the more reason to get that oven bun-ified." Leone laughed at Naruto's awkward position she lured him into. She pulled the next bowl of Ramen close and casually drank it down. And once that bowl was empty, she snatched the bowl set in front of Naruto's seat.**

 **"Hey!" Naruto protested the act. He shot up to his feet to give the girl a piece of his mind in regards to stealing his Ramen when Leone smirked at him.**

 **"What? I paid for it," she cheekily said to him.**

"Clever girl." Coco nodded with a smirk.

 **Naruto's argument died instantly on his lips. Still heated, he sat back down in his stool with an annoyed pout. The pout disappeared as another bowl was set in front of him. Grateful eyes turned to the smirking chef.**

 **"Good sir...Your kindness knows no bounds." Naruto began, speaking from the bottom of his heart as he took the bowl of ramen and held it aloft like it was a sacred relic. "I shall treasure the half second it took me to eat this bowl of ramen always."**

"Only a half second? Wimp." Nora snorted. "I can down a stack of pancakes in a millisecond."

"But how do you savor it?" Yatsuhashi asked her.

"With syrup!"

 **"For the love of the Creator, kid, I told you to chew!" The chef cried out in awe at the sight of the instantly vacant bowl. He didn't see the kid move and he knew for a fact that he didn't blink! How'd he eat the bowl so fast?!**

Ruby covered her mouth. "That's gross."

"That's you with cookies." Yang reminded her.

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is." Weiss rolled her eyes. "Why do you think we keep the sugar away from you?"

"…Because you're meanies."

 **"And I did! Why not say anything to her? She's downing hers even faster than I am!" Naruto said whilst he gestured at Leone, who was in the process of licking her bowl dry. She stopped when she realized she was being addressed.**

 **"Oh, that's because I don't have a gag reflex." Leone shrugged and resumed the slow, but rewarding task of cleaning the bowl for all that it's worth.**

"…Fuck she's got one up on me." Yang cursed.

"Swear!"

"Not now Ruby!"

 **"That makes perfect-I'm sorry you don't have a what now?" Naruto asked as soon as his brain processed her claim. He immediately lost himself to a fantasy so fiendishly foul that even Jiraiya would've been hesitant to peek in on it if he could have.**

 **Needless to say, it involved a massive bowl of Ichiraku Ramen and** _ **three**_ **blondes instead of the by now normal two.**

 **Yang suddenly stilled as she was overwhelmed with a sudden (and notably** _ **bizarre**_ **) urge to throttle someone.**

"Hunt them down my sister, their blood calls to be spilled!"

"I don't want to kill people though." Ruby told Yang and tilted her head at the crazy creepy tone the blonde was using.

"Not you Ruby!"

"You said 'sister'! Make sense!"

 **A big chested, blonde haired someone that had eyes for a Ramen loving fool. Odd, though, she could've sworn she was pretty much the only one she knew who fell under that description.**

"Looks like you were wrong~!" Coco sang out.

"Coco, stop antagonizing her." Velvet chided.

"Please Vel, it's hilarious."

"I'll show you hilarious." Yang grunted as she spared Coco a glare.

 **So wrapped up in her confused wrath, Yang's lack of a decent guard caused her to be kicked clear across the training ground. The buxom brawler crashed into the training ground's bleachers, becoming buried in the rubble. Lilac eyes blinked after she shook off the daze.**

 _ **Did I just get laid?**_ **She wondered. She frowned when she noticed a lack of sweaty, sexy blond boy in her direct vicinity.** _ **Nope. Argh! This sucks! I'm so used to getting action that it's throwing me off of my game! It's only been two weeks!**_

"She must be gone finger crazy. Like Velvet."

"Coco!"

"No, Yang usually has that under control." Blake stated knowingly.

Yang looked betrayed at her partner's confession.

"Oh…oops." Blake said, sounding as sincere as an old tour guide.

 **Ruby blinked, stupefied by the clear shot she managed to get in on her older sister. She looked over at her teammates, who were equally baffled by the successful blow, before robotically she turned back to the rubble that her sister still lay under, bemoaning the lack of sex life and cursing an absent boyfriend who caused the aforementioned lacking sex life.**

 **"Yang?" Ruby hesitantly called. "You okay?"**

 **"Anyone get the color of that bitch?" Yang called back, sounding a bit groggy.**

Ruby's eyes swelled up at this, looking hurt at her sister. "Why would you call me that?"

"You knocked me through the bleachers."

Ruby sniffled. "Swear."

"Whatever." Yang rolled her eyes.

 **Weiss and Blake immediately shared a look before they raced to the outskirts of the training ground.**

 **"Ruby!" They called over their shoulders as they fled.**

 **Their younger friend-slash-team leader gaped at the blatant betrayal, but before she could call them out on it, Ruby had to quickly slice through a tossed bleacher and stare her glowing sister down.**

 **"Thank you," Yang said as her red eyes locked with Ruby's silver. Her knuckles audibly popped as her fingers curled tighter into the palms of her hands.**

 **"Oh, crapbaskets..." Ruby muttered.**

"SWEAR!" Everyone called out on Ruby, who looked stunned.

"…There goes my cookie fund."

 **She set into a ready and defensive stance, her knees bent and her finger on Crescent Rose's trigger. Softly, under her breath, she whispered to her scythe as her sister raced forward. "Protect me, Sweetheart."**

"It won't." Yang bluntly said.

 **It didn't.**

"Called it."

 **Yang, still fumed, turned her eyes towards her two other teammates and slowly lifted her hand to point at them. Weiss and Blake jumped into each others arms, wide eyed and shivering, as the red-eyed gaze of their team's powerhouse stayed on them. They swallowed audibly when Yang began to slowly stalk towards them, undoubtedly to relieve some pent up stress.**

 **"Weiss?"**

 **"Yeah, Blake?"**

 **"If I don't make it out of this, I want you to have my Ninjas of Love books."**

"That is a great deal of trust." Blake told Weiss sternly.

"Like I would want it." Weiss blanched.

 **"I promise not to burn it, but I won't read it."**

 **"That's all I ask."**

Blake grasped Weiss' shoulder firmly. "You're a good friend."

Weiss looked away, unsure ow to feel over this.

 **While Yang was using her repressed sexual frustration to unleash absolute Hell on her teammates and Naruto was lost in a fantasy that could not be shown for it's sheer graphic nature (on that note: food is not meant to be fun kids, it's meant to be eaten), the rest of Team NHKS were spending time either as part of Kon's border patrol or just relaxing within the village.**

 **Today, for Kurama anyway, it was the latter.**

Coco put her hands in the air. "Finally, some spotlight on the other cuties. Mainly Vel's."

Velvet just flopped her ears down at this, her cheeks pink.

 **He'd taken a quick walk through the village, to soak in the sights, smells and sounds he grew up with before he decided on a whim to pop into a small flower shop.**

 **"Hello and welcome to-Ah, hello Kurama!" A boy about Ruby's age, with brown hair cut like a bowl, glasses and green goggles wrapped around his head, greeted the Faunus. He sniffed up a large dangling line of clear mucus and smiled at the older teen.**

 **"Udon." The fox Faunus gave the boy a half-smile. "Got a part time job, huh?"**

 **"Yeah, well, my condition doesn't let me do much outside of Kon, y'know." Udon shrugged. He had a severe immunity deficiency that had him suffer terrible allergies. On good days, the worst would be the previously mentioned mucus line, which most managed to ignore. On the bad days, Udon would be laid up in bed, and even his mother would find it difficult to make eye contact with the ill boy.**

"Eew." Everyone cringed.

 **Kurama continued to give him a sympathetic smile. His Semblance was hard to control when he was young, so he often got sick by taking in aura from a plethora of people or giving too much aura whenever he made physical contact with someone (mostly Naruto). Without another word, he gathered a bouquet of pink carnations and took it to the counter, where Udon checked him out.**

 **"How's the Boss?" Udon asked as he took the lien set down as payment. Kurama shrugged.**

 **"Probably raving about Ramen if he's not already half dead from whatever training he's going through."**

"And flirting." Yang growled.

"Unintentionally." Pyrrha reminded her.

"Still flirting!"

 **Udon chuckled. "Sounds like him. Tell him I said hi?"**

 **"He'll probably stop by to visit once he's back in town. Just try to keep up the health, Udon. Tell the rest of the Corps I'm only a scroll call away," Kurama said. He gathered his purchase and walked out of the store with a hand raised in farewell.**

 **The destination wasn't far from the flower shop, but with every step the flowers felt heavier. Kurama eventually came upon a dusty old shop, and through the window saw that it was filled with outdated weapon modifications and Dust crystals that were far from being useful to anyone anytime soon, but still had a glow of life about them.**

"Oooh, retro." Ruby whispered in glee.

 **He walked around the corner into an alleyway and continued until he was behind the building.**

 **Three tall slabs of stone were settled along the back, names carved professionally and meticulously in order to withstand time's endless assault on the mineral. Kurama set his bouquet in front of the middle stone and he sat down across from it. He removed his sunglasses and a smile crossed his face. Painfully joyful memories sprang at once to the forefront of his mind, and unbidden tears built up along the rim of his eye.**

 **"Hey, Pops." Kurama croaked out after a long silence. "I'm back. Dammit, wouldn't you know it...Raining, again. What're the odds?"**

"That's so sad, it makes me want to cuddle him." Coco frowned.

Velvet nodded in agreement, it was sad, but touching.

"He's so macho about it, just cry and admit it. Ren does it, at least on the inside."

Ren nodded. "It's true."

* * *

 **Sun and Neptune come in at another reading fic (That I haven't uploaded yet). So yeah, surprise?**


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